Sustainable, state-of-the-art station will be the second built under a new EMS model
Wake County Commissioners today approved plans to move forward with the construction of a new regional emergency medical services station in the Town of Cary. The 15,260-square-foot station is the second to be built under the system’s new regional model and will serve as a hub for EMS providers working in the western part of the county.
“As Wake County’s population grows, our EMS system will have to grow with it, and we’re making sure that growth happens in a smart and sustainable way,” said Wake County Commissioner Cheryl Stallings. “Regional hubs like Cary Main EMS ensure that our responders have the resources they need to provide the highest standard of care to our residents now and in the future.”
Currently, EMS units in Cary operate out of an interim location owned by the Town of Cary. The new station will create a base of operations for providers working in this area, with support functions that reduce the need for ambulances to travel back to a central location in Raleigh.
Wake County EMS began the transition to the regional model of service with the opening of Garner Main EMS in December 2023. Cary Main EMS will be the second regional prototype under this model.
“Wake County EMS is committed to providing prompt, compassionate and clinically excellent care to all our growing communities,” said Jon Studnek, director of Wake County EMS. “Having a regional home-base in the western part of Wake County gives our providers in that area better flexibility and puts out-of-service units back on the road quicker.”
Cary Main EMS will include six bay spaces for parking emergency vehicles and two bays to service, stock and resupply EMS response units. The building will also include a vehicle maintenance and repair area, a decontamination space, room for additional inventory, supervisor offices and a dedicated training area.
The new station is also an example of Wake County’s commitment to sustainability. It will include two electric vehicle charging ports, and will also be equipped with a 36.6 kW rooftop solar photovoltaic system expected to produce 70,000 kWh of energy per year, cutting both costs and greenhouse gas emissions.
The 2.49-acre site for the new station is located at 819 Kildaire Farm Road. Construction is expected to cost $9.83 million. Wake County Commissioners agreed to award the construction contract to O’Connor Company of NC. A notice to proceed for construction is expected to be issued in late January 2025, and the project should be substantially complete in the spring of 2026.
