Montoni has completed construction on a new build-to-suit ambulance operations centre for Urgences-santé in Laval, Que.

Urgences-santé, the Greater Montreal Area’s emergency medical services provider, has leased the property from Montoni under a property-management model that is rare in public health, according to the company.

The newly opened operations centre is located at 2700 Jacques Bureau Avenue near Autoroute 15. The building represents a step forward for pre-hospital services in the region and will meet Urgences-santé’s operations needs and those of the paramedics, mechanics and administrative staff who work there every day, said Montoni.

“Our new operations centre, better suited to our specific requirements, gives us the space, functionality and technology we need to move forward, said Michel Garceau, the EMS provider’s president and CEO. “With these new leased work premises, we will improve ambulance fleet dispatching across our three operations centres and continue to offer high-quality pre-hospital services to the people of Laval and Montréal. This building, with much more modern features than the previous one, is designed to meet both our current and future needs.”

The new centre’s design pays particular attention to field crews’ comfort, security and efficiency and its better suited to the realities of day-to-day operations, according to Montoni. The building includes 40 indoor parking spaces to shelter ambulances from cold temperatures and reduce their energy consumption.

“This is a clear improvement over Urgences-santé’s former North Operations Centre, which had become too cramped for current needs, with just 22 parking spaces for a fleet of 35 vehicles,” said Montoni.

The addition of a server room is designed to complement those of the East and West operations centres, strengthen the organization’s IT resilience framework and support service continuity.

Urgences-santé is seeking LEED certification based on the environmental performance expected: a 42% savings in energy consumption, a 37% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and more than 50% water savings thanks to high-efficiency fixtures and rainwater recovery strategies. Low-emission materials, air filtration and equipment ensuring optimal temperatures will all contribute to creating a healthy, comfortable environment for users.

“This project shows how building smart can help communities,” said Dario Montoni, the real estate firm’s president. “By offering high-quality infrastructure through a leasing model, we give public agencies like Urgences-santé the opportunity to rapidly benefit from an environment that meets their needs without the capital outlay required to purchase the property.

“We believe this is an appropriate model, and one that we are eager to replicate, as it meets the needs of our partners while ensuring effective service to the population.” 

Montoni completed the project in only seven months.

Pictured: Urgences-santé personnel and others celebrate the opening of a new ambulance operations centre in Laval, Que.

Photo: Urgences-santé