This year, St. Charles County Ambulance District (SCCAD) will respond to approximately 50,000 calls for service – a number that has grown by nearly 50 percent over the last decade and continues to climb. Rapid residential and commercial development, coupled with an aging population, have been the driving factors behind the upward trajectory. This week, the District debuted a reconfiguration of emergency assets that are projected to positively impact response times in one of the county’s busiest areas.
Advanced life support ambulances are now positioned at new stations located at 1755 Woodstone Dr. in St. Peters and 3801 Towers Rd. in Harvester. Previously, this expansive area was served by a single ambulance operating from a station along Old Hwy. 94. The move brings SCCAD’s total number of stations staffed around the clock to 17.
“When performing our community needs analysis, this area was and continues to be a high priority,” said SCCAD Chief Kelly Cope. “The Woodstone and Towers stations, coupled with support from existing facilities, will enable us to enhance coverage and provide better response times to 911 emergencies.”
The unit housed at the Woodstone station will primarily serve the Rt. 364 corridor between Heritage Pkwy. and Mid Rivers Mall Drive, while the Towers station will respond to calls in the densely populated residential areas of Harvester.
Total project cost on the two facilities was approximately $5.85 million. Originally slated to open earlier this fall, supply chain issues related to several critical pieces of equipment necessitated a slight shift in the stations’ opening.
“Like many construction projects throughout the region, we encountered delays on a handful of required items. We’re grateful to our general contractor (LCS, LLC.), architect (Archimages) and project management firm (Navigate Building Consultants) that aided in helping navigate the interruptions and minimize impact to the overall project timeline,” said Cope.
The new stations were included in SCCAD’s 10-Year Capital Improvement Plan [CIP], which was published in 2018. General obligation bonds authorized by voters in August of that year provided financing for the facilities. Also included in the CIP was the District’s unified headquarters facility which opened in 2021, replacement of ambulances and lifesaving equipment, and several forthcoming EMS stations.
