An alternative temporary base has been found for the St John ambulance service in South Dunedin, but the organisation is still seeking a permanent home in the south of the city.
An ambulance and two officers moved to a relocatable building on the north side of Portsmouth Dr near the intersection of Strathallan St recently after a three-month trial when they were based at the Edgar Centre.
The shorter response times to South Dunedin and the Otago Peninsula had proved there was value in having an ambulance based in the area.
The new "base" was actually for sale, but had been offered as a temporary solution for the next three months, Coastal Otago district operations manager Dave Jasperse said.
There was a possibility that could be extended, but St John was still searching for a permanent base.
An ambulance and two staff will be based in South Dunedin during the day until a permanent home can be found.
St John trialled the "St Kilda" ambulance at the Edgar Centre for three months and found response times to callouts in South Dunedin and on the peninsula were reduced by up to five minutes compared with responding from the city's main base in York Pl in the central city.
