Ottawa Paramedic Service Headquarters

The Ottawa Paramedic Service Headquarters is a 100,000 sq ft, state-of-the-art facility located in the Ottawa South Business Park. It provides a central location from which to deploy paramedics and consolidate all paramedic training at a single facility. In addition, the Headquarters offers centralized processing of all emergency vehicles and equipment along with improved facilities for public training programs such as Public Access Defibrillation and CPR. The construction company, Forum, has built the facility for a firm price of $19.9 million, exclusive of increases in steel prices. With a host of energy-saving features, the Ottawa Paramedic Service Headquarters is the City of Ottawa’s first facility to be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified, with many more energy-efficient projects in progress.

Benefits of the Ottawa Paramedic Service Headquarters to residents

• This Public-Private Partnership (P3) ensured the timely construction of the City’s paramedic service headquarters and removed the operational risks associated with the short-term leasing situation at the previous facility at 530 Tremblay Rd.
• The new facility improves efficiencies of the paramedic service through the consolidation of services and staff formerly located at 1887 St. Joseph Blvd. and 530 Tremblay Rd.
• The P3 process that secured this partnership was competitive and ensured that the City obtained excellent value for money.
• The partner was committed to deliver the building for a firm price, thereby accepting any risks associated with the design and construction of the facility.
• By providing a loan guarantee for the long-term debt, the City ensured that it obtained the lowest possible borrowing rates from the private sector, at rates comparable to what the City could obtain directly.
• The facility built through this P3 supports public safety, and the health and well-being of residents and visitors through the provision of efficient and effective emergency response services.

Location

The Ottawa Paramedic Service Headquarters is located at 2465 Don Reid Drive in the Ottawa South Business Park. View a map to the Paramedics Headquarters.

Milestones

The process leading up to the completion of the Ottawa Paramedic Service Headquarters began in 2002 when staff at the City of Ottawa defined a need for a consolidated emergency medical services headquarters. City Council approved staff’s recommendation for a new facility in August 2003, and the search for a private-sector partner was launched. In June 2004, after a competitive bidding process, Forum Leasehold Partners was awarded the contract to build the facility, and construction was launched in September 2004. The new Ottawa Paramedic Service Headquarters was ready for occupancy in December 2005.

Project Partners

The Ottawa Paramedic Service Headquarters was created as a result of a Public-Private Partnership between the City of Ottawa and Forum Leasehold Partners Inc. Forum was selected as a result of a competitive bidding process for the project in which four firms were short listed to receive the Request for Proposal (RFP). The proposal received from Forum Leasehold Partners Inc., in association with Westeinde Construction, an Aecon Alliance Company, and Trammell Crow Services Canada Ltd., was determined to provide the best value to the City under a Public-Private Partnership.

About Forum

Forum is a Toronto-based company that acquires and develops single-tenant properties. The company has acquired a portfolio valued at over $100,000,000. Forum investment criteria include a wide range of asset types, credit quality, and lease types. Forum invests in a full range of transaction types including sale-leasebacks, Public Private Partnerships (P3s) and design-build-lease projects. Learn more about Forum by visiting the Forum Web site (link is external).

Contact the Ottawa Paramedic Service Headquarters

Customer Service Line at 613-580-4771.

Please note phone lines are monitored during standard office hours Monday to Friday. For after-hours information and non-emergency support or assistance please dial 3-1-1 and a City of Ottawa client service agent will assist you. Call 9-1-1 for emergencies only.

The Ottawa Paramedic Service Headquarters is a 100,000 square foot, two-storey state-of-the-art facility designed by GRC Architects, Alex Leung and built by Aecon Construction. The building is both disaster resistant and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified. The City of Ottawa is proud to secure a LEED certification for the facility, which delivers energy performance savings of 25% over traditional designs, with annual utility savings of up to $80,000. 

The facility includes:

Administration area

• Training facilities include a high-tech human simulation unit to train paramedics.
• Paramedic Command Centre which is central to the coordination and execution of services during a disaster.

Operations and warehouse

• Paramedics start and finish their shift from this location.
• Supplies are received, managed, prepared, and packaged.
• Electronic equipment is managed, recharged, serviced and calibrated.
• Other equipment is managed, inspected, maintained and repaired.
• Disaster equipment and medications are stored for future use.

Garage

• Ambulances are cleaned and disinfected (both interior and exterior), refit with new supplies, inspected and readied.
• Vehicles are placed in a cue waiting for the next shift.
• Decontamination facility cleans and disinfects vehicles contaminated by exposure to hazardous materials or infectious agents.

The facility houses 100 logistics, training, administration and operations staff as well as more than 450 paramedics. It handles up to 80 ambulances and emergency response vehicles, as well as 160 paramedics daily.

All facilities built in partnership with the City of Ottawa are wheelchair accessible.

• This Public-Private Partnership (P3) ensured the timely construction of the City’s paramedic service headquarters and removed the operational risks associated with the short-term leasing situation at the previous facility at 530 Tremblay Rd.
• The City’s land at 2465 and 2495 Don Reid Dr. was made available to Forum Leasehold Partners Inc. through a ground lease covering a term of 30 years.
• Forum is building the facility through a design/build agreement with Westeinde Construction for a firm price of $19.9 million, exclusive of increases in steel prices.
• Forum secured financing for the construction phase of the project at a rate based on Bankers Acceptances (BA) plus several basis points (bps). The resulting financing costs will be capitalized and added to the project cost for long-term financing.
• The project was executed under a Municipal Capital Facilities Agreement. Forum will be exempted from development charges, site planning and building permitting fees, and from property taxes, both municipal and education.
• The City will enter into a sub-lease with the partner to occupy the building and will make lease payments to Forum. The lease payment will include an annual amount equal to a percentage of the construction value that escalates over time to create a Lifecycle Renewal Fund to ensure timely capital repairs to the facility.
• Forum will be responsible for the property management of the facility for an annual management fee, to be escalated over time. All costs related to the operation of the facility will be paid for by the City without mark-up, or contingencies.
• At the end of the 30-year term, the ground lease will expire and the land and facility will transfer to the City for one dollar.

What is the Ottawa Paramedic Service Headquarters?

The Ottawa Paramedic Service Headquarters is a 100,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art facility located in the Ottawa South Business Park.  It provides a central location from which to deploy paramedics and consolidate all paramedic training at a single facility. In addition, the Headquarters provides centralized processing of all emergency vehicles and equipment along with improved facilities for public training programs such as Public Access Defibrillation and CPR.

What is special about the Ottawa Paramedic Service Headquarters?

The Ottawa Paramedic Service Headquarters is housed in a barrier-free, secure, disaster-resistant building that includes special training facilities such as the novel human patient simulator – a computer-model-driven, full-sized mannequin simulation unit – and a learning library. The training facility is also used to offer emergency training, such as Public Access Defibrillation and CPR to residents. The facility’s garage is one of only a few specialized facilities in North America equipped with a Level III Decontamination Bay in the event that vehicles are contaminated by exposure to hazardous materials or infectious agents. The building also houses major incident support vehicles, trailers, and supplies including special operations uniforms and gear. There is a specialized, high-tech biomedical repair and maintenance area, and the facility is fully self-supporting in the event of a blackout or heating fuel supply disruption.

The building is LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified. The facility delivers energy performance savings of 25% over traditional designs, with resulting utility savings estimated at up to $80,000 each year. Innovative approaches to building systems are the reason the facility is so energy efficient. For example, lighting is motion activated with only one out of six lights staying on. As people move around the building, motion detectors activate, lighting their paths. Another example is a clever water “heat reclaim” system that also saves considerable resources. When hot water is utilized in the building, pipes that carry hot wastewater are able to transfer some of its heat to pipes that lead to the inflow pipes of the hot water tank. Even garage doors play a role in efficiently managing the building’s HVAC (Heat Ventilation and Air Conditioning) system. High-speed garage doors significantly reduce loss of heated or cooled air from within the building.

How big is the Ottawa Paramedic Service Headquarters?

The two-storey Ottawa Paramedic Service Headquarters is 100,000 square feet in size.

Where is the Ottawa Paramedic Service Headquarters located?

The Ottawa Paramedic Service Headquarters is located at 2495 Don Reid Drive in the Ottawa south Business Park. View a map to the new Ottawa Paramedic Service Headquarters.

What types of activities does the Ottawa Paramedic Service Headquarters support?

The Ottawa Paramedic Service Headquarters houses the Paramedic Command Centre where disaster services are coordinated, and houses all the activities of the Ottawa Paramedics service team, from training and storage of equipment to equipment repair and vehicle maintenance.

How do I contact the Ottawa Paramedic Service Headquarters?

Customer Service Line at 613-580-4771.

Please note phone lines are monitored during standard office hours Monday to Friday. For after-hours information and non-emergency support or assistance please dial 3-1-1 and a City of Ottawa client service agent will assist you. Call 9-1-1 for emergencies only.

Along the path towards completion of new city facilities under Public-Private Partnerships, there are a number of reports presented to various Committees and Council, which form the basis for decisions about location, scope, budgets, timelines and other issues related to the facility. You can review the reports related to the new Ottawa Paramedic Service Headquarters, as follows:

26 June 2002
Public-Private Partnerships

23 October 2002
Public-Private Partnership (P3) Projects for Earliest Implementation

12 May 2003
Emergency Medical Services Headquarters -- Public-Private Partnership (P3) Update

19 August 2003
Public-Private Partnership (P3) Project – Emergency Medical Services Headquarters

20 January 2004
Public-Private Partnership (P3) Project – Ottawa Paramedic Service Headquarters

15 June 2004
Public-Private Partnership (P3) Project – Ottawa Paramedic Service Headquarters