Sod was turned Thursday at the future home of the new headquarters for Perth County EMS.
Dignitaries and paramedics were among those gathered for the groundbreaking ceremony, which took place at the site on Douro Street in Stratford’s east end.
Currently, the EMS organization has offices in a building owned by Festival Hydro, and ambulance space at Stratford General Hospital.
Both those functions will be consolidated at the new facility, which is expected to be ready by next spring.
The new building has been designed to meet the needs of the service for many years into the future, including serving as a host site for training exercises, EMS chief Linda Rockwood said in a press release.
Actual construction will begin later this month.