Hundreds call for ambulance station to be saved
GoogleA petition signed by nearly 900 residents calling for the preservation of an ambulance station in Devon will be presented to the board of an ambulance trust.
The Totnes Road station in Paignton houses four emergency ambulances and shares its premises with St John Ambulance, said campaigners.
However, the building's lease is set to expire and will not be renewed, leaving the future of the station uncertain, they said.
South Western Ambulance Service Trust (SWAST) said its ambulances were "mostly dispatched to attend patients from within the community, rather than directly from ambulance stations".
The petition will be delivered to the board later by health campaigner and former Torbay MP Kevin Foster.
Mr Foster launched the Save Paignton Ambulance Station campaign in April, urging the trust to work with local partners, including Torbay Council, to secure a new site within the town.
Campaigners said despite the trust confirming it was exploring "alternative arrangements", no commitment had been made to maintain a dedicated station in Paignton.
"The loss of the current site should not mean the loss of Paignton's ambulance station," said Mr Foster.
"There are alternative locations available, and the trust must ensure ambulances remain based in Paignton."
'Ambulances deployed dynamically'
A spokesperson for SWAST said it would work towards Paignton having a Community Ambulance Point rather than a station.
They said it would be "to facilitate welfare provision, operational standby and rest breaks 24 hours a day, seven days a week".
They added the lease agreement ends on 13 September.
"In February of this year, St John Ambulance confirmed that the lease would not be renewed and advised us that they intended to sell the property," they said.
"While stations serve as start and end points for shifts, the deployment of our ambulances is managed dynamically through the day and night, based on real-time demand and location."
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