By Charles Wilborn
Danville Register & Bee
DANVILLE, Va. 鈥� At 7 a.m. Monday, the Danville Life Saving Crew started using its third station, debuting a new name all in an effort to reduce response times in Danville.
Now known as the George and Sarah Buchanan East Side Station, it鈥檚 located at 1024 South Boston Road and was most recently a car dealership.
Currently, the crew can respond anywhere in the city in about 10 minutes. With this new location, that time will drop to about eight minutes.
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It all started in 2020, Danville Life Saving Crew Chief Robbie Woodall said in a recent interview at the new station.
The North Carolina-based George and Sarah Buchanan Foundation provided seed money to purchase the property about two years ago, which kick-started the project.
After raising about $150,000 from the community, the city of Danville partnered to help the nonprofit rescue agency increase its coverage area.
Danville Finance Director Michael Adkins confirmed the total funding from the city 鈥� spread over two fiscal years 鈥� was $1.9 million.
The facility has two buildings. One will give a home to the community paramedicine program, something launched in response to 911 calls that weren鈥檛 true emergencies. It now gives those four workers a landing zone while also offering clinical-style space for patients to visit.
The building is for the paid crew members who will be on call. It will house three ambulances, a quick response vehicle and the agency鈥檚 heavy-duty rescue truck.
It鈥檚 designed to cover areas along U.S. 58 , northern Danville and the River District .
鈥淭his new station is a tremendous asset for Danville,鈥� Woodall said in a statement Monday after the new station opened. 鈥淚 am proud of our team and grateful for the public and private partners who made this possible.鈥�
The agency is planning an open house in September to show off the location to residents. That event will coincide with the 80th anniversary celebration of the Danville Life Saving Crew.
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