Public safety & emergency preparedness for residents & visitors at forefront of planning efforts
On Monday, April 8, from approximately 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., Hamilton County and Fishers will experience the Total Solar Eclipse. Totality in Fishers will begin at 3:06 p.m. and last 3 minutes and 30 seconds, the longest length of totality in Hamilton County.
The City of Fishers, Fishers Police Department and Fishers Fire and Emergency Services have been preparing over the past six months with county officials to ensure the public safety of residents and expected influx of visitors as they experience the celestial event. Central Indiana anticipates upward of 500,000 visitors to view the Total Solar Eclipse.
Stay informed
- The city will be open for business on Monday, April 8 by phone at (317) 595-3111 between 8:30 and 4:30 p.m. The City Services Building at 3 Municipal Drive will be closed for in-person services and will reopen at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, April 9.
- Follow City of Fishers on Facebook, X, and Instagram for information leading up to and on the day of the eclipse. For general information and safety tips, visit FishersIN.gov/Eclipse.
- Motorists are encouraged to use the Waze app and follow @FishersIN on X for traffic and travel updates.
- Register for Hamilton County’s emergency notification system, Smart911, to be notified of any major public safety emergencies. Register at smart911.com.
Be prepared
- Fishers Parks properties will have a modified schedule open to pedestrian traffic only. Beginning at dusk on April 7 through dusk on April 8, vehicular traffic will be restricted to encourage residents to visit neighborhoods or local parks via pedestrian access instead of adding vehicles to the roadways. Geist Waterfront Park and Cumberland Park will be closed to vehicular and pedestrian access.
- The Fishers Health Department Clinic will be closed and not accepting appointments or walk-ins.
- Prepare for the event like you would prepare for a large-scale winter storm. Ensure proper fuel for vehicular travel and that necessary medication is stocked and accessible, food and water are prepared, and if traveling, that alternate routes are identified.
- With the anticipated increase of video streaming, social media usage, and calls in a relatively small, concentrated area, those in the path of totality should anticipate loss in communications or poor service.
Traffic & road closures
- Locations that experienced a Total Solar Eclipse in the past saw heavy, often standstill, traffic. With the anticipated additional traffic, motorists should travel with emergency preparedness in mind. This includes ensuring gas tanks are full, planning for extra time to your destination, and packing water and snacks in anticipation of long delays.
- Cumberland Road will experience limited, local access only on April 8 to keep a clear thoroughfare for public safety. East-west roadways at Cumberland Road will have soft closures and allow local access only.
- Be advised there are also ongoing road projects and road closures around Fishers, including 146th and Allisonville (north/south closure); State Road 37 & 141st Street (east/west closure); and 106th Street and Mud Creek (between Cumberland Road and Hamilton Pass).
- Fishers Engineering and Public Works Departments will suspend all road construction work on the day of the eclipse.
Public safety & emergency response
- Call 911 in the event of an emergency. For non-emergency issues, call the non-emergency line is (317) 773-1282.
- Fishers Fire and Emergency Services and the Fishers Police Department will be stationed throughout the city in various locations to alleviate travel distances for emergency responses in the event of heavy traffic.
- In the event of a community emergency, all communications will be published from the city’s social media accounts.
Safety information
- When watching an eclipse, you must always wear safe solar viewing glasses (eclipse glasses). Visit VisitHamiltonCounty.com for a list of local businesses selling eclipse glasses.
- It is never safe to look directly at the sun, even if the sun is partly obscured.
- Do not view the eclipse through regular sunglasses.
- Viewing any part of the sun through a camera lens, binoculars, or a telescope without a special-purpose solar filter will instantly cause severe eye injury.