Published: July 03, 2008 11:54 am            

Jeffersonville, Yellow Ambulance reach deal on old firehouse

A building along Crestview Court — which formerly housed the Jeffersonville Fire Department’s Station No. 2 — will be the new home of Yellow Ambulance Service, officials said during a press conference Wednesday.

“This has been a staple in this community for a long, long time,” Jeffersonville Mayor Tom Galligan said while standing in front of the old firehouse. Station No. 2 was moved to a new building along Ind. 62 earlier this year.

The building will continue to be used for public-safety concerns as a result of the lease, he said. Yellow will keep at least one ambulance stationed at the old firehouse at all times.

As many as three emergency vehicles — and one nonemergency vehicle used for transporting convalescents — could eventually be stationed there, said Michael Ross, assistant director for Yellow in Southern Indiana.

“So any medical needs in this part of town will be taken care of very, very rapidly,” Galligan said.

Firefighters stationed there were routinely called out as first responders to medical emergencies.

Under the agreement, Yellow will lease the property from the city for five years at a rate of $1 per month. There are two five-year options, meaning that the firehouse could be occupied by Yellow for the next 15 years.

The company also will take care of utilities and maintenance cost for the building. It will make the building its Southern Indiana headquarters, making it subject to local taxes. And it will pay for the city’s medical supplies — such as oxygen, defibrillators and bandages — used by the Jeffersonville Fire Department during first-responder runs.

“This allows us to cut part of our cost for first responders,” Galligan said.

City Councilman Keith Fetz, whose district will be immediately served by the station, stressed that on top of the financial factors, the increase in public safety is the most important aspect of the agreement.

“This is a win-win situation for all of us,” he said.

The station also will serve Councilman Mike Smith’s district. Smith, a 33-year veteran of the fire department, said the deal would maintain a certain level of public safety in the city because of its central location.

Ross said crews would be in the building next week for some preliminary work, such as painting and sprucing up. Once at full staff, there could be as many as 50 people working out of the station on different shifts, he said. And someone will be there 24-hours-a-day ready to take calls.

        

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