HEMSI Opens New Station in Huntsville

Huntsville Emergency Medical Services, Inc. employees and board members welcomed elected leaders and special guests for the dedication ceremonies of the new HEMSI Station 1. The new 8,000 square-foot emergency response facility houses up to 6 vehicles/equipment trailers and has capacity for two full crews -- 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to service the current call volume of 450+ calls per month.

The new station continues the 50-year history of ambulance service from the Governors Drive location, and replaces the adjacent facilities built in 1988. The former station facilities will be remodeled into additional office space for the business office operations.

Irma Tuder, Chair of the Board of Directors for the Chamber of Commerce praised HEMSI for its part in the city’s economic development and stressed its importance in the community.

“From the important services that HEMSI provides to our citizens, and the importance of having HEMSI in our community, to being able to showcase to people who are considering moving to this community that we have such services available, HEMSI is truly meeting a need that impacts so many locally and appeals to so many more nationally,” Tuder said.

Many attended the gathering in honor of the late Dr. Clement Cotter, Sr., including Congressman Parker Griffith. Dr. Griffith said, “I am here to help celebrate the opening of this beautiful new facility, but I am here to honor my friend, Clem Cotter.”

Griffith explained that he met Dr. Cotter in the emergency room as they treated an accident victim who had suffered a crushed chest. While Dr. Cotter put in a chest tube, he looked up, smiled, and said, “Welcome to Huntsville.” That was the beginning of a long and lasting friendship between the two physicians.

Dr. Greg Cotter, a Radiology Oncologist in Mobile, said of his father, “He had such a love for emergency medicine, and we are grateful to HEMSI and the Huntsville community for honoring him like this today. It would have meant so much to him.” Cotter was joined by his sisters, Attorney Maria Cotter and Educator Janet Cotter Atha, both of Huntsville.

HEMSI CEO Jon Howell said, “Dr. Clement Cotter was a remarkable man. He was the driving force in establishing the emergency medical services system across the state of Alabama, and we are all the beneficiaries of his life’s work.”