For 81 years, Canandaigua Emergency Squad has provided life-saving services to over 28,000 residents across Ontario County from its current headquarters, a base built in the 1970s equipped to respond to 800 calls.
Today, CES is the busiest 911 volunteer service in Ontario County, responding to over 6,000 calls a year. The building is beyond wear-and-tear, its foundation is crumbling, and CES is in dire need of a new headquarters.
“Our need is great,” Canandaigua Emergency Squad Chief Matt Sproul said. “Our garage walls are falling, our roof has structural damage, our heating and cooling system isn’t able to sustain the building’s load, the wiring in our walls can’t handle our electrical load and we’re unable to hook up a generator during power outages. The list goes on. We exist to serve the community and families, often in their most desperate moments. We’ve exhausted all options for repair, and the time has come for a new base. We need this. And we can’t do it without our community’s support.”
CES has held out as long as possible, patching up the building as issues arise. Construction on a new $3 million 13,000-square-foot facility will ensure CES’ headquarters meets today’s safety standards and gives the squad a reliable space to await calls for help. The new base will have one large training room to host community safety training courses including CPR, First-Aid, Stop the Bleed and more.
The organization is humbly asking for the public’s support to ensure it is able to respond to neighbors well into the future. As an independent nonprofit, CES operates entirely without tax-based support and relies solely on funds generated through community donations and service billing to fund life-saving staff and equipment.
“We’ve issued a community appeal to residents of Ontario County asking for support,” said Chris O’Donnell, Canandaigua Emergency Squad Board Chair. “As an independent nonprofit we do not receive municipal funding. Many people are unaware that we are not affiliated with Thompson Hospital or Mercy Flight or any other charity or organization. We run a very lean operation to serve thousands in our community and we are humbly asking the residents and businesses in Greater Canandaigua for their partnership and support. Every gift helps support this community need.”
Construction on the new building is underway and expected to be completed in winter 2022. To learn more about CES or to make a donation toward the CES headquarters fund, visit canandaiguaes.org.
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