By Patrick Donachie
The FDNY celebrated the opening of a new EMS station for neighborhoods in eastern Queens last Friday, marking the completion of construction that broke ground in December 2013.
EMS Station 50, located at the Queens Hospital Center at 159-10 Gotheals Ave. in Jamaica Hills, is the largest EMS station in Queens and will be home to the Queens EMS Borough Command. The complex spans 13,000 square feet and cost $22 million, according to the FDNY. Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro was on hand to commemorate the grand opening.
“With the opening of a new EMS Station 50, we have more than doubled the number of EMS stations citywide in the 20 years since the merger of New York City’s Emergency Medical Services and the FDNY,” Nigro said. “Today our members respond to more calls than ever before, including 1.7 million responses in the last year alone. To meet this unprecedented demand, we will continue to invest in our EMS resources and position our highly trained paramedics, EMTs and officers where they can quickly and effectively respond when they are needed most.”
In addition to space for the borough command, the complex will include blood-borne pathogen decontamination areas and locker facilities for all personnel. The station will run 30 basic and advanced life support ambulance tours daily, and the new station will include six response cars operated by FDNY EMS officers.
The July 22 event involved a ribbon-cutting ceremony that included Nigro, other FDNY administration officials and New York City Department of Design and Construction Commissioner Dr. Feniosky Peña-Mora.
Reach reporter Patrick Donachie by e-mail at pdona
