The South Bend Fire Department Emergency Medical Services Division provides the largest fire department based EMS system in northern Indiana. The Emergency Medical Services Division is led by an 8 hour Assistant Chief and 3 Shift Captains.
Structure of Emergency Medical Services
The structure of the EMS division includes 73 Paramedics, 44 Intermediate Emergency Medical Technicians, 24 Advanced EMTs and 84 Basic EMTs. There are 5 Advanced Life Support Ambulances that respond within the City of South Bend protecting the citizens and visitors to the area.
Delivery of quality Advanced Life Support care to all of our patients is a top priority. We have ALS personnel staffing on fire companies and two additional chase cars to ensure an expedient ALS response.
Coverage of Emergency Medical Services
The South Bend Fire Department EMS Division also provides ALS ambulance coverage to the western and southern portion of Saint Joseph County. This is through an intergovernmental agreement between the Mayor and the County Commissioners. We provide two ALS ambulances that respond to the outlying communities, one on the northwest section and one on the southwest section. There is also an Advanced Life Support “chase car” staffed with one Paramedic that serves as a Shift Captain that also responds to call in and outside of the City limits.
With this large area the South Bend Fire Dept. EMS Division responds to up to 17,000 calls a year.
The mechanical units are medium-super-duty units on Navistar and Freightliner chassis. Safety of our responders is a top priority. Equipment is of the highest quality.
Specialty Medical Care
South Bend Fire Department provides EMS coverage to the University of Notre Dame, not only on a day to day basis but for special events. These include but are not limited to, lacrosse, soccer, softball, men’s and women’s basketball and football.
The responders that work the special events for Notre Dame Athletics go through additional training with the Notre Dame Medical Staff and are a working part of the ND Medical crew.
Education is a never-ending process for the EMS field. Our firefighters/ ALS responders are required to hold many additional certifications such as ACLS, ITLS, PEPP, and CPR. We hold monthly EMS classes for our responders that keep their emergency medical skills at a peak level.
The South Bend Fire Dept. is a member of the St. Joseph County EMS Committee with Medical Direction provided by Memorial Hospital of South Bend and St. Joseph Regional Medical Center Mishawaka.
The South Bend Fire Department does provide CPR training. (Fee Related) Call our offices at 574.235.7562 for information.
Special Activities -SBFD
The EMS Division participates in all Fire Service Activities, Hazardous Materials, Confined Space, Swift Water, Divers, Boat Operators, and Terrorist Preparedness.
South Bend Fire Paramedics also provide ALS coverage to the University of Notre Dame for all home football, basketball (men’s & women’s) soccer (men’s & women’s), and hockey games.
The South Bend Fire Department and Ivy Tech State College have partnered in offering the Associate of Service in Paramedic Science to he held in the new central fire station classrooms and Ambulance Clinical Rotation on the Fire Department Medic Units.
311@southbendin.gov
574.235.9255