Announced May 5, the Evansville Fire Department will to take over responsibility of all ambulance services within city limits, effective July 1, 2026. American Medical Response, which currently responds to medical emergency calls in the city, employs approximately 106 paramedics emergency medical technicians. According to AMR’s website, the company takes an average of 33,000 ambulance transport calls and 8,000 wheelchair transport calls each year.
“This transition not only enhances our public safety infrastructure, it also creates a reliable source of revenue that can be reinvested in our fire department and help offset future budget pressures created by recent statewide property tax caps,” Mayor Stephanie Terry said in a statement. “We are thankful for the service provided by AMR under our current system, and for the professionals who have supported our residents in times of need.”
The city’s contract for ambulance services is overseen by the fire chief. Upon being named to the fire department’s top job in January 2024, Chief Tony Knight began to look for ways to improve efficiency and felt that the fire department, with its connections to other public safety apparatuses, was in a position to efficiently provide Evansville’s ambulance service needs. Knight also felt that the move would generate revenue — estimating the service would be self-sustaining within four years and projecting a generated surplus of $3.5 million annually by 2028 — which was confirmed by a third-party auditor.
“When presented with all of this information, Mayor Terry determined that this was the best — and most fiscally responsible — option for providing efficient ambulance service to Evansville residents,” says Joe Atkinson, communications director for the City of Evansville.
The transition of service under the EFD’s umbrella will add 47 new positions to the payroll, according to Knight. EFD’s 14 stations already are integrated with the Evansville City/Vanderburgh County Joint Department of Central Dispatch and its 42 employees. However, the transition still will take an estimated $7 million initial investment — with support from the Evansville Board of Public Safety and City Council — and includes acquiring the necessary ambulances and equipment.
“We anticipate this being fully repaid by 2028, at which point the addition of EMS personnel and benefits, operating expenses, and capital improvements will equate to roughly $5.8 million,” Knight says. “One hundred percent of that will be covered by the ambulance service billing revenues. In addition to the revenues covering those costs, it will also generate a surplus that can be used to improve other, existing city services.”
Other results of the transition, city officials say, will include quicker response times, more affordable rates, and an increase in operational efficiencies. City officials project the cost to operate ambulance service will decrease by 20 percent as a result of the transition.
The Emergency Medical Services division will be placed within the EFD, with the fire chief overseeing the new addition. A Deputy Chief of EMS will run the administrative side, and day-to-day operations will be managed by the EMS supervisor on duty.
As far as any other changes that can be expected, Knight says residents can expect “a streamlined delivery model where the 911 dispatch center, first-response, and paramedic ambulance service all work seamlessly in unison.”
