INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis EMS has reduced all ambulance shifts from 24-hours to 12-hours to provide increased flexibility of service while meeting a greater capacity for surges in call volume.
“In order to continue to deliver the best possible care to the citizens and visitors of Indianapolis, we must be able to meet the changing demands of the community,” said Indianapolis EMS Chief Charles Miramonti said in a press release.
The department moved 10 ambulances that operated on 24-hour shifts to 12-hour shifts on June 21. Specific ambulances will also be realigned to operate during the demonstrated peak volume hours for 911 medical calls. Three units will be deployed as mobile units that are moved to areas of immediate need based on real-time run requests.
“The placement of ambulances is a fine balance of geography, anticipated call volume based on historical use and real time requests for service,” Miramonti said.
EMS providers were notified of the upcoming change in early 2014, and have been working to address any issues that may arise, and department leaders are keeping a close eye on the transition.
“We will continue to monitor the service as these changes are implemented to make sure the impact is positive,” Michael Hayward, IEMS Chief of Operations said. “There is no anticipated impact for the end user of 911 ambulance services.”
The transition is a result of a recommendation from a committee that reviewed and evaluated four years of service data that began in December 2010. The committee met numerous times throughout 2014 to determine the best possible deployment model for the service. The group was comprised of administrators, management and field providers, Indianapolis Fire Department leaders, and members of the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) Local 416 union.