NORTHFIELD — Northfield EMS paramedics and EMTs settled into their new, temporary digs on Wednesday, as the ambulance service officially moved into living quarters next to its current base of operations at 41 Main St.

The roughly 700-square-foot trailer arrived on Monday and was fully installed three and a half hours later. The new setup includes two bedrooms, a full bathroom, laundry units, an office space, a kitchen and a living room for on-duty crew members to take advantage of in between calls for service. Northfield EMS has at least two EMTs working at all times, with the agency providing paramedic-level services.

With Northfield EMS now operating in the four towns of Northfield, Bernardston, Gill and part of Erving, Chief Matt Wolkenbreit said the service was in need of a living quarters upgrade for staff, especially during overnight shifts. He added the ambulance service’s new towns have been “really wonderful to work with.”

“We are absolutely over the moon; we’re thrilled,” he said in an interview in the new space on Wednesday. “This will allow us to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

In June, the Selectboard approved Wolkenbreit’s $55,113 request to fund the installation, permitting and leasing of the structure, as well as rent through Jan. 1. Money came from the Emergency Services Building Account, which had approximately $350,000 in its balance.

The town worked with Grafton-based Emergency Temporary Housing to deliver and install the structure. Wolkenbreit said the company was “absolutely amazing” to work with. In all, he noted the entire process of finding the trailer, requesting funding from the Selectboard and installing the structure took just under three months.

The new, temporary structure comes as Northfield’s search for a permanent base for the ambulance company continues. Earlier this year, it looked like Northfield EMS would be moving to the Valley Concrete & Construction facility in Bernardston, but the company pulled the offer after the town was unable to reach a purchase-and-sale agreement deadline. Residents had given Special Town Meeting approval in 2024 to purchase and outfit the facility for public safety uses for $2.1 million.

Wolkenbreit estimates Northfield EMS will occupy the trailer at least through next spring, as the town’s Emergency Services Facility Committee continues its work to find a new home for the ambulance service. One potential option is to purchase the land it leases from Sandri Energy — for $950 a month, plus the reimbursement of property taxes — and build a new structure there, but possibilities like that need to be explored further by town officials.

“This is sort of the gap measure for us. … My attention will turn to the building committee to come up with the next steps,” Wolkenbreit said. “We’re going to keep pushing.”

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.