For 44 years, a small office in the Health Services building was home to Syracuse University Ambulance. SUA is no longer based at 100 College Place, though, and will now operate out of Lyman Hall.

Paul Smyth, manager of emergency medical services for SUA, said the move to Lyman Hall was much needed. The new location will improve organizational safety and operational performance.

SUA’s new building is almost double the size of its original location, Smyth said. It houses up-to-date technology and provides more accommodations and resources to the staff, he added.

The new Lyman Hall base will allow SUA to double the amount of bedding and locker storage space, Smyth said.

All health and wellness facilities will operate out of The Arch, according to the latest draft of the Campus Framework. The university considered housing SUA in the Barnes Center at The Arch, but the facility would not have been able to accommodate the organization, Smyth said.

On a given day, SUA operates more than five vehicles, including two ambulances, he said. The parking accommodations necessary for a quick entrance and exit as well as space accommodations are among the reasons The Arch did not work, Smyth said.

Pete Sala, vice president and chief facilities officer, said the decision to make the move to Lyman was made collaboratively between SUA, Health Services, Campus Facilities and the Division of Campus Safety and Emergency Services.

Sala said SUA was involved in the relocation process.

Lyman Hall allows SUA to work closer with its partners in the Division of Campus Safety and Emergency Services, Sala said. The new location also puts SUA in “the heart of campus with immediate access to well-controlled campus roadways,” he said in an email.

While designing the new space, the architects considered how best to help SUA from an operational standpoint, Smyth said. He added that he worked with Campus Facilities to determine how to best design and utilize the space in Lyman.

Smyth said the Syracuse winter is one of the biggest problems SUA has dealt with. SUA staff would routinely go outside and run ambulance vehicles to ensure they wouldn’t freeze, he said. Lyman will protect ambulances from snow and ice and will therefore improve operational performance, Sala said.

Smyth said the new location won’t have an effect on emergency response times.

Published on September 20, 2017 at 12:05 am

Contact Jason: jtmussma@syr.edu