New Ambulance Station opens in Port Hedland

St John Ambulance WA will officially open its new $4.9 million Port Hedland sub centre on Friday 15 June.

Until recently the sub centre operated from a facility in Hedditch Street, South Hedland built in 1979. St John CEO Tony Ahern said they had outgrown the ageing sub centre and the new Hedland base would significantly improve ambulance response capability and patient health outcomes in the Pilbara region.

“Due to the design and age of the building, plus expanding operational training and first aid kit servicing requirements in Port Hedland, the facility had reached the end of its useful life,” Mr Ahern said.

Funding for the new ambulance depot and first aid centre located at Quinnup Way in the Kingsford Smith Business Park was made possible thanks to contributions of $2.5 million from BHP, $1.8 million from the Australian Government, with the Town of Port Hedland providing assistance to acquire the land.

Mr Ahern said “We are grateful that BHP has provided us with this generous donation and the support via the Australian Government to upgrade our facilities.”

“St John plays a vital role in Port Hedland providing ambulance, transfer, training, kit servicing and health promotion services to the broader community.”

“The investment supports our vision for growth and diversity in the region and will supply the Port Hedland community with a first class ambulance facility comparable to the latest metropolitan and major country facilities.

“It will enable continuous improvement of patient outcomes by providing better trained staff and volunteers, and will allow St John to expand its crew capacity to meet the demands of a growing population,” Mr Ahern said.

“Just as importantly, it will also have a large, dedicated first aid training area for industry and the general public. Our belief is that when you increase the proportion of the population trained in first aid you also improve community resilience.”

The new sub centre will be a modern, functional facility with a building able to cope with all weather conditions and includes an 8 bay ambulance garage, 2 modern first aid training rooms and a designated first aid kit servicing area.

Attending the official opening alongside St John CEO Tony Ahern is Senator Dean Smith, Mr Chris Cottier from BHP and other local dignitaries.