Turriff’s first ambulance will be stationed at the local fire station from next month in a move that hopes to reduce soaring waiting times.
The new vehicle – which was brought into service in June but has been based in Banff until a location in Turriff could be found – will be on standby at the station on Fife Street from November 1.
The move has been welcomed by Banff and Buchan MP David Duguid who said that the community has rightly been concerned by historically high waiting times.
Figures released by the ambulance service revealed that Turriff residents waited twice as long for an ambulance compared to those in other parts of the region last year.
In life-threatening situations, the average length of time taken to respond to a 999 call from Turriff was 22 minutes 16 seconds.
Average wait time has risen by almost seven minutes
The figure has risen by almost seven minutes since 2019 when the average was 15 minutes and 45 seconds.
MP David Duguid held a public meeting in Turriff last year which was attended by more than 150 people to discuss the issue.
He said he is “delighted” that Turriff will now have its own ambulance stationed in town.
“It has taken a long time to get to this stage but this announcement is monumental and will help the ambulance service to meet the challenges of the coming winter months when demand will increase,” he added.
He added that the new ambulance will give “hard-working paramedics” a better chance to react more effectively to local needs and help patients in the town aswell as the larger surrounding rural area.
He recalled how at the public meeting last year, there was an overwhelming feeling of frustration.
“When people call 999 the public expects the ambulance service to attend quickly and new resources like this will help to make sure they now can,” he explained.
Confirming the move and date in an email to Mr Duguid, the Scottish Ambulance Service said: “I am delighted to inform you that everything is now in place for Turriff and our proposal is that we go live on November 1.”