Indiana University Health Saxony Hospital and the Town of Fishers unveiled a new ambulance bay and quarters for Fishers firefighters and emergency medical workers at the hospital just off exit 210 at 13000 136th St.
The bay holds one ambulance, and the living quarters are like a mini-apartment for on-call Fishers personnel, complete with two separate bedrooms, one bathroom, a full kitchenette and more.
Dr. Gaurav Arora, chief medical officer at IU Health Saxony, said the partnership would benefit both parties by giving Fishers fire and emergency services personnel a facility to operate out of and by providing extra resources for training the Saxony location’s own professionals. It will also provide transportation for those that need to make it to the downtown hospital.
“It’s totally a two-way street and absolutely is a win-win situation,” he said.
Steve Orusa, fire chief, said the biggest advantage that FFD gets out of working with IU Health is better response times.
“This is a very efficient use of resources,” he said. “We did not have to build a fire station. We didn’t have to hire any additional personnel, and yet we’re able to improve our level of service by being creative and innovative.”
Various officials credit the partnership with saving the town the expense of building a new fire station in the Saxony area. A new fire station being built at 104th Street and Florida Road cost about $2.2 million.
Jon Goble, president and CEO at IU Health Saxony Hospital; Arora; John Weingardt, Fishers Town Council president; and Orusa presented the fruits of the partnership at a press conference last Wednesday.