ASHLAND, Pa. -- An ambulance company in Schuylkill County never thought it was going to be able to move into a new building.
A lack of space made work life difficult for EMTs, but after six years of work and $500,000, the company in Ashland got its wish.
The Washington Fire Company Community Ambulance Inc. says it's finally able to exhale and breathe a sigh of relief. It's thrilled to be celebrating the opening of its new, modernized headquarters along Centre Street in Ashland.
"Oh, can't believe it sometimes. The amount of space right now that we didn't have before and didn't really realize that we were missing out on," said president David Mitten.
The amount of space at the new building, compared to that of the old building just next store is pretty noticeable. A new kitchen, rooms to sleep in, spacious hallways and bathrooms, as well as offices and a wide-open conference room are all welcome amenities.
The project took six years to finalize and cost more than $500,000, all paid for by the ambulance company.
"Of all the things that had to fall into place for us to get this, if those buildings were occupied that had been here on this site and never became available, I don't think we would've had an option. We would've been stuck with what we had," Mitten said.
For the EMTs, the favorite part of the new building is a brand new lounge area. Mitten tells us that due to the lack of space, employees used to go out to their cars to listen to music or eat. Here, they can sit down, hang out, eat some food and talk to one another.
"It's nice to have a place to relax, recoup for a minute or two, do our paperwork. The facilities (are) definitely an upgrade," said head EMT Jason Kane.
The old building will still be used to house all of the ambulances.