Evansville Common Council on Monday approved an interest-free $7 million loan from the casino capital improvement fund to the Fire Department to launch a city-operated ambulance service.

The loan, passed as Resolution C 20 25-21, will fund the initial purchase and outfitting of ambulances, medical equipment and station modifications and is expected to be repaid from ambulance service revenues within about 2½ to 3 years, officials said.

The council’s vote follows presentations from Robert Gunter of the controller’s office and Fire Chief Tony Knight, who detailed the plan and projected costs. “We are asking for the transfer of $7,000,000 from the casino capital improvement fund over to the fire department for the start up of the Evansville Fire Department EMS division,” Knight said. He listed intended purchases: 11 ambulances, 11 power-loaded cots, 11 cardiac monitors, medications and other supplies, plus station renovations to accommodate EMS staffing.

Knight said the plan calls for 47 new employees to staff the ambulances (roughly two personnel per ambulance) and that all ambulance revenue will be applied first to repaying the loan. “All revenues drawn from the ambulance service will go straight to paying that loan before anything is seen outside,” Knight said. He and other officials described a multi-step validation of revenue projections: an internal feasibility study, an outside review by Reedy Financial and revenue modeling by an ambulance-billing firm. Knight said those third-party reviews produced projections close to the city’s internal forecast.

Council members questioned financial risk and staffing logistics. Knight said the city will use single-role EMS providers (not dual-role firefighter/paramedics) to avoid staffing conflicts that contributed to prior municipal efforts’ failures. He said the city’s applicant pool and recruitment interest have been strong: “In our last application process, we saw 400 applicants,” Knight said, and said he expects no problem filling positions.

Public commenters, including former paramedic Angie Bullock, praised the move toward a public-run EMS program. Bullock said public operation centers patient care rather than profit and criticized private operators for prioritizing nonemergency, revenue-generating transports.

Councilmember roll call produced eight ayes and no nays; Resolution C 20 25-21 was declared adopted. Officials said they expect up to eight ambulances in service by the end of the year, with the remainder delivered as manufacturers can supply vehicles.

The city will contract with a third-party billing agency to handle claims and collections; officials said the model anticipates that Medicare, Medicaid and other payers will generate sufficient revenue to cover operating costs, debt repayment and ongoing capital needs.

Implementation steps named in the meeting include purchasing vehicles and equipment, hiring and training staff, station renovations and contracting billing services. Council and department staff said they will return with additional operational details as the program begins.