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Evansville plans to move EMS into fire department, aims for self-sustaining service by 2028
Summary
City leaders outlined a plan to bring advanced life support ambulance service under the fire department beginning July 1, 2026; administration expects the service to pay for itself within several years and is exploring leasing ambulances to spread startup costs.
Evansville officials told the council they plan to bring advanced life‑support ambulance response and patient transport under the Fire Department with a target service start of July 1, 2026. The mayor’s budget presentation and subsequent department remarks described the move as part of efforts to control costs and improve service.
Mayor (Mayor, City of Evansville) said the plan to bring Evansville Emergency Medical Services in house is expected to ‘‘fully pay for itself by 2028, and then generating 3,500,000.0 annually.’’ Fire Chief (Chief Knight, Evansville Fire Department) said the administration is budgeting six months of start‑up costs for fiscal 2026 and expects that, as revenue is collected, the general fund will be reimbursed for initial expenditures.
The fire chief told council members the department will staff the in‑house EMS with a mix of 24‑hour and 12‑hour units to match call volumes. The proposed staffing noted in presentation includes a deputy chief of EMS, a public information/education manager, three supervisors and roughly 44 EMTs and paramedics dedicated to the ambulance program. Chief Knight said the department is also exploring lease-to-own financing for ambulances to avoid a large one-time capital outlay and to spread equipment replacement costs over the vehicles’ shorter lifecycle.
Finance staff said anticipated ambulance revenues for the first operating year are being estimated at about $4,142,000 and budgeted to balance the first‑year operating costs under the July 1 start. Chief Knight and controller staff said any borrowing or lease payments tied to startup equipment would be repaid from the ambulance revenues before net gains accrue to the city.
No final procurement or lease agreement was adopted during the presentation; council members asked for follow-up details about the proposed lease terms and the timing of ambulance deliveries. The administration said it was soliciting comparative lease proposals through purchasing and would return with options.
