Carmel City Council approves enhanced fire department staffing & additional ambulance

In support of Carmel’s commitment to world-class public safety, the Carmel Fire Department is expanding staffing to better serve the growing west side community.

The City Council approved funding at Monday evening’s meeting that will provide two firefighters per shift, six total, to staff the Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulance currently parked at Station 342. Located at 106th Street and Shelborne Road, Station 342 serves the southwest side of Carmel as the first fire and EMS response unit.

The additional staffing will:

• Reduce ambulance response times serving patients on scene, ensuring timely transport to hospitals for critical medical attention.
• Enhance initial fireground operations, reducing response times and minimizing property damage during residential and commercial fires and emergencies.

“Already, we have one of our state’s premier firefighting and response teams,” Mayor Sue Finkam said. “I appreciate the council supporting this additional funding that will enhance our response times on the west side, providing a high and consistent level of excellence city-wide.”

The approved funding follows a comprehensive assessment by Carmel Fire Department Chief Joel Thacker, who was appointed by Mayor Finkam in August 2024. At that time, Finkam called for a plan focused on increasing public safety staffing and services, particularly to the west side of the city.

National standards for the delivery of Emergency Medical Services include recommended response times to 911 calls within a fire department response district. The standards call for the first arriving unit within five minutes not less than 90 percent of the time, with a transporting unit arriving within nine minutes not less than 90 percent of the time. Carmel’s districts all meet or exceed the standard, with the west side area targeted for the increased staffing occasionally falling under the standard.

The city partnered with the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 4444 on the assessment, which focused on increasing fire and EMS service delivery to areas of the city that are not currently meeting all national standards guidelines.

“We thoroughly reviewed current services, past incident numbers and response times and determined that additional equipment, facilities and personnel are needed to provide increased fire and EMS services to the west side of Carmel,” Thacker said.

Citing the tremendous growth in the area served by station 342 over the past 20 years, Thacker noted an increase in large private residences, apartments, townhomes, and commercial property.

“The increased staffing will bring the southwest side of Carmel up to the same high standard throughout the rest of Carmel,” Thacker said.

Council President Adam Aasen said council members are aligned with the Mayor on the enhanced team.

“We are committed to providing our community with the level of emergency response they expect and deserve,” Aasen said. “As the west side continues to grow, we will continue to be proactive when it comes to safety.”

Councilor Rich Taylor, finance chair, added: “We look forward to having this additional ambulance in service to better support the southwest side of Carmel.”

The City Council’s approval introduces $800,000 to the budget in support of the additional staffing.