Councillors have lobbied since the 1970s to have have police, fire, and ambulance services in one location in Rockwood, and it has finally happened.
“It took 30 years but it’s all there now,” Guelph-Eramosa councillor Doug Breen said on Monday night after council passed an agreement with Royal City Ambulance.
The agreement was made retroactive to June 1 and expires at the end of this year.
It grants Royal City Ambulance, the service provider for both Guelph and Wellington County, the use of one bay as well as office space at the Rockwood Fire Hall on Main Street North, beside the OPP office.
The new ambulance was announced earlier this year after local and county officials requested the additional unit because response times in Erin and Guelph-Eramosa were among the slowest in the Guelph-Wellington area.
The deal includes a $1,000 rental fee to be paid monthly by Royal City to the township.
Mayor Chris White said it is important to recognize the efforts of previous councils – especially those under the direction of former Mayor Dave Adsett – which had the foresight to build the new fire hall, without which the new ambulance bay would not be possible.
“This has been a long time coming,” White said.
Council unanimously approved the ambulance agreement (John Scott was absent).
