HAYWOOD, Ky. — Under warm, sunny skies Tuesday, officials broke ground in Haywood as ambulances lined the site and shovels turned dirt, marking the start of construction on Barren-Metcalfe EMS’s fourth ambulance station.

The new station will be built beside the Haywood Volunteer Fire Department on Matthews Mill Road at the intersection of U.S. 31E, a project aimed at improving emergency response times in southern Barren County.

The Ambulance Service Corporation board approved a $579,275 bid April 22, awarding the project to Collins Custom Homes.

The joint ambulance service serving Barren County and Metcalfe County began operations Jan. 1, 1975, as area funeral homes ended their ambulance services.

Officials said the Haywood station also represents a milestone for Barren-Metcalfe EMS, as it will be the first building the agency will own outright.

“This is the first building in the history of Barren-Metcalfe EMS that they own,” said Garland Gilliam, deputy county judge/executive in Barren County and a board member of the Ambulance Service Corporation. “That’s what makes this significant.”

Gilliam noted that the agency’s existing facilities are housed on property owned by other entities, including the East Main Street headquarters in Glasgow, which is owned by the Glasgow Electric Plant Board, and the airport location, which sits on airport board property.

During Tuesday’s ceremony, Ambulance Director Dr. Joe Middleton said the gathering reflected continued cooperation among local leaders and emergency response partners.

“Today we are all here, and that tells me something very important,” Middleton said. “It tells me that when a community believes in something that truly matters, when leaders stay committed and when partners keep pushing forward, good things will happen.”

Officials said the new station is part of a broader effort to strengthen emergency coverage in the southern end of the county, where longer travel distances and steady recreational traffic around the nearby lake can affect response times.

“We know one thing simple in EMS: time matters. This station is strategically designed to reduce response times and to shorten the overall response times to the southern part of Barren County,” Middleton said.

He said the goal is to ensure crews can reach patients more quickly regardless of where emergencies occur.

“Emergencies do not check zip codes. They do not check response areas. They don't wait for convenience. This station helps ensure that we're ready when we're needed.”

Middleton also emphasized that EMS care often begins long before a hospital is reached, with crews providing critical treatment in the field for heart attack, stroke and trauma patients.

Middleton said pre-hospital care is often thought of simply as transportation, but he said it frequently involves lifesaving interventions before patients ever reach the emergency room.

“It supports faster interventions and better outcomes. While this building will be made of concrete, metal and wood, its real purpose is human.”

He added that the new station will also support EMS personnel by helping crews remain prepared physically, mentally and professionally as service demands continue to grow across the region.

“This station positions Barren-Metcalfe EMS to meet future demands with confidence, whether that's population growth, increased traffic or other unexpected challenges that we're not even aware of at this point,” he said.

Once completed, the Haywood station will become the fourth in the Barren-Metcalfe EMS system, expanding coverage across both Barren County and Metcalfe County.

The Haywood station is expected to be operational by November.