EMS finds new home

The Good 5 Cent Cigar

By Lisa Morrill

Construction on the Adams and Browning Residence Halls on the University of Rhode Island Campus has left the university's Emergency Medical Services without a home.

Currently, the EMS is stationed in the basement of Adams Hall, where they utilize the small access road alongside Adams to maneuver the ambulance. The construction going on in Browning and behind Adams, has made it increasingly difficult to maneuver the ambulance around all of the construction, EMS Commander Robert Hart said.

Hart noted that it is nearly impossible for the EMS to continue their work from behind Adams Hall.

Although the exact date is not yet set in stone, the move should take place within the next few weeks. Hart said the EMS will be relocated to the old Women's Center, located on Plains Road. The building was recently vacated by the organization due to the building being structurally unsound and even nearly condemned, according to a Cigar article dated Sept. 10.

"The building has served it's time and purpose, but it's in really bad shape," said Carolyn Sovet, assistant director of student life and the Women's Center, according to the Cigar article.

Hart said the move is only temporary.

He said that the building has been checked out by building inspectors and that a few minor adjustments had to be made, but overall the building is not unsafe and that it is legitimate to begin operation out of.

Shad Ahmed, a member of the university's EMS voiced his approval of the move. "We'll have more room to do more training," he said. "It will give us more access to the campus." He also said the building will provide more room so equipment can be stored properly.

Hart also said that along with URI support, they plan on getting proper funding from the Board of Governors by the spring in order to build a brand new headquarters for their services. Until a permanent location can be found, the EMS will operate out of the old Women's Center on Plains Road.