JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. — The city of Jeffersonville is now automatically responding to structure fires and other related emergencies in Utica Township.
An automatic aid agreement was approved Wednesday by the Jeffersonville Board of Public Works and Safety. The agreement requires the Jeffersonville Fire Department to co-respond to any address or occupancy within the Utica Township Fire District, which includes the town of Utica and the township.
"This is a bit of a crisis for Utica and Utica Township. They've asked for our help, I said lets help," Jeffersonville Mayor Mike Moore said.
According to a news release from the City of Jeffersonville, its fire department will respond to the following:
- All reported structure fires within the Utica Township Fire District with two (2) Engine Companies, one (10 Ladder Company, and one (1) Command Officer.
- All rescues/entrapments with one (1) Engine Company, one (1) Truck Company, and one (1) Command Officer.
- Any medical call where the patient is unconscious or unresponsive with one (1) Engine/Truck Company.
"We're just gonna ramp up our response to Utica, and it's not gonna hinder the response that we give to the citizens of Jeff," JFD Chief Shawn Grant said.
The Utica Township Fire Protection District has two portions, split up by the River Ridge area, which was annexed by Jeffersonville several years ago. The southern portion starts at Brown Forman Road, and continues along the Ohio River past the East End Bridge.
Kelly Khuri, a member of the Utica Township Fire Protection District Board of Fire Trustees, told WHAS11 they signed the agreement Monday. She said there is no money attached to the agreement and Jeffersonville Fire is essentially providing service for free.
Utica Township Fire Department, which does business as New Chapel Fire and EMS, still has a contract in place for $141,000 annually. That status of that contract could change in the future.
The Board of Fire Trustees cannot currently end a contract or start a new one, because it only has one official voting member. The Clark County Commissioners are expected to possibly appoint two new board members at Thursday's meeting.
"We appreciate our friends and neighbors at the Jeffersonville Fire Department for being willing to help us continue ensuring that the people of Utica have protection when minutes matter most as we work with Utica to help determine the future of its fire protection services," S. Coy Travis said over email, a spokesperson for UTVFD.
Clark County has experienced EMS staffing issues for months. Earlier this month, Clark County Commissioners voted to begin discussions to potentially replace New Chapel EMS as the county-wide ambulance provider.