DILLSBORO, Ind. — In 2023, the Dillsboro Emergency Ambulance Unit’s response rate to emergency service calls dropped to just 12%, continuing a downward trend from 20.79% in 2022 and 30.82% in 2021.
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita stated that these declining numbers pose a risk to public safety, asserting that it has “become apparent that DEAU is no longer able to fulfill its mission to the Town of Dillsboro and other communities in Dearborn County.”
On Friday, Rokita’s office filed a complaint in Dearborn County Superior Court seeking the dissolution of the nonprofit volunteer corporation and the appointment of a receiver to oversee the wind-down process, WCPO reported.
This legal action follows nearly a year after Dearborn County terminated its contract with DEAU due to concerns over governance and declining response rates. Since then, DEAU has not provided emergency services to Dillsboro or the surrounding areas, according to the complaint.
In the first half of 2023, Dillsboro’s ambulance unit was unavailable for approximately 120 emergency calls — including reports of traumatic injuries and strokes — according to Dearborn County 911 records.
In 2023, DEAU leaders cited staffing losses and revenue cuts. By mid-2024, response rates fell further. In May, the county offered a contract tied to response benchmarks, which DEAU rejected, proposing a counteroffer.
“They proposed a contract with no accountability and asked for more money, and at that point, we were at an impasse,” Thatcher said.
Town and county leaders urged AG Rokita to intervene, citing Indiana law allowing dissolution of nonprofits that mismanage assets or fail their mission.
Despite receiving about $60,000 annually through fundraising and service billing, DEAU’s assets fell from $1.36 million in 2016 to $142,350 in 2021, while response rates dropped, the complaint states. Though DEAU’s building and ambulances remain, they haven’t operated since the contract ended in March. The county now funds Dillsboro Fire, Aurora EMS and Moores Hill EMS to cover the area.
