Manorville ambulance company's HQ goes green

The Manorville Community Ambulance company has a new energy-efficient home.

The new headquarters for the company has been certified as meeting the requirements for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver status, said Assistant Chief Kevin Staubitz.

"We researched different designs based on what would best serve our community," Staubitz said. "Especially with all the environmental regulations, we thought a green building would be the best way to go."

The new building features geothermal heating and cooling, solar panels and other energy-efficient elements. Staubitz said the company will receive rebates from LIPA for the energy generated from the solar panels.

Over the past three decades, the number of the company's calls has increased dramatically, and it acquired more equipment to keep up with demand, Staubitz said.

"Our call volume increased over the years, from 300 to 400 calls up to 1,300 at this point in the year already," he said.

Now the company has three ambulances, a mass casualty incident vehicle, two chief's cars, three first responder vehicles and two search-and-rescue cars, he said. With the company's old building about "the size of a two-car garage," Staubitz said, the need for more space arose.

Two years ago, Brookhaven Town board members approved a $4-million bond for the new building, with an additional $2 million bonded for demolishing the old building and the cleanup. The company moved into its new home, designed by Melville-based firm H2M, in February.