Huntsville, AL -- Huntsville Emergency Medical Services, Inc. employees and board members welcomed elected leaders and special guests for the dedication ceremonies of the new HEMSI Station 1. The new 8,000 square-foot emergency response facility houses up to 6 vehicles/equipment trailers and has capacity for two full crews -- 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to service the current call volume of 450+ calls per month.
The new station continues the 50-year history of ambulance service from the Governors Drive location, and replaces the adjacent facilities built in 1988. The former station facilities will be remodeled into additional office space for the business office operations.
Many attended the gathering in honor of the late Dr. Clement Cotter, Sr., including Congressman Parker Griffith. Dr. Griffith said, “I am here to help celebrate the opening of this beautiful new facility, but I am here to honor my friend, Clem Cotter.”
Griffith explained that he met Dr. Cotter in the emergency room as they treated an accident victim who had suffered a crushed chest. While Dr. Cotter put in a chest tube, he looked up, smiled, and said, “Welcome to Huntsville.” That was the beginning of a long and lasting friendship between the two physicians.
Griffith concluded, “I know you will understand when I say they just don’t make ‘em like him anymore. He was one of a kind.”
Dr. Greg Cotter, a Radiology Oncologist in Mobile, said of his father, “He had such a love for emergency medicine, and we are grateful to HEMSI and the Huntsville community for honoring him like this today. It would have meant so much to him.” Cotter was joined by his sisters, Attorney Maria Cotter and Educator Janet Cotter Atha, both of Huntsville. 
HEMSI CEO Jon Howell said, “Dr. Clement Cotter was a remarkable man. He was the driving force in establishing the emergency medical services system across the state of Alabama, and we are all the beneficiaries of his life’s work.”
Mayor Tommy Battle, Mayor Paul Finley, and Madison County Chairman Mike Gillespie added their congratulations on the new facility and words of praise for Dr. Cotter as did Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce Chair Irma Tuder.
A permanent plaque will memorialize Dr. Cotter at the Station 1 facility.
