Public Safety in the Evansville Region

FIRE PROTECTION
Evansville City Fire Department
The Evansville Fire Department maintains a force of 273 firefighters and seven civilians. Fourteen (14) Fire Stations are located strategically throughout the confines of the city limits. These locations are placed strategically to insure response times of three (3) minutes or less to all areas of the City.

Three (3) Battalions make up the Suppression Division, working a 24-hour shift. First line equipment consists of 12 Engine Companies, 3 Engine-ladder Combinations (Quints), 4 Aerial Trucks, 2 Heavy Rescue Squads, 1 Rescue Boat, and 1 HazMat Response Unit.

The department principally serves the City of Evansville; however, there is a contractual agreement to service a portion of Pigeon Township. The Department may also assist volunteer fire departments when requested.

County Fire Departments
There are five Volunteer/Combination Fire Departments in Vanderburgh County who serve the residents outside the corporate limits of the City of Evansville. These Fire Departments are Knight Township, McCutchanville, Scott Township, Perry Township, and German Township. These five departments operate out of eleven (11) strategically located stations and are staffed with approximately 200 men and women. The equipment in these five Fire Departments consist of:

• 11 Pumps
• 2 Rescue Boats
• Dive Trailer
• Ten (10) Rescue Squads
• Seven (7) Brush Trucks
• Fifteen (15) Class A Pumper/Tanker combinations
• One (1) Rescue Boat
• One (1) 75 ft. Aerial/Pumper Combination
• Two (2) Als transport Ambulances
• One (1) Hazardous Materials Response Trailer
• One (1) High Expansion Foam Generator
  

This equipment is valued at $4.0 million dollars. All five county Fire Departments operate under an integrated Incident Command System for all emergencies. These agencies embrace the Early Defibrillation Program with four of the five presently providing this service.

In addition, these departments have written mutual aid agreements with the fire departments located in Warrick, Posey, and Gibson Counties, as well as the City of Evansville.

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POLICE DEPARTMENTS
Sheriff's Department
The Sheriff's Department provides police protection for all residents of Vanderburgh County. Its primary law enforcement area is outside the city limits. The department enforces all criminal and traffic laws, and is the primary investigative agency for traffic accidents on approximately 565 miles of state and county roads in the county. The Field Operations Division which includes the Patrol Division, Criminal Investigation Division, Youth Education Unit, and the Crime Prevention Unit are headquartered in the Sheriff's Command Post located at 5607 US Highway 41, near the old airport terminal.

In terms of civil law, it is the responsibility of the Sheriff's Department to serve all court warrants in both the City and the County, as well as all court summons and subpoenas. The Sheriff's Department is also responsible for security in the ten rooms of Circuit and Superior Courts and for operation of the county jail, which is located in the Civic Center Complex.

Currently, the Sheriff's Department has a staff of 103 sworn deputies and 40 Correctional Officers, and 25 civilian employees. Additionally, there is a reserve force of 35 volunteers, which supplement the regular deputies.

Evansville Police Department
The mission of the Evansville Police Department, in partnership with the community, is to improve the quality of life by reducing the fear and incidence of crime, to recognize and resolve problems, and to fulfill the law enforcement needs of the citizens of Evansville, Indiana.

Indiana State Police
The Indiana State Police may respond to hazardous materials emergencies and act in support of the jurisdictional law enforcement agency. The Indiana State Police are considered the jurisdictional law enforcement agency on interstate highways within a county. They provide the following support:

• Assist in blocking off areas by controlling traffic on the interstate highway system.
• Provide enforcement and compliance authority to insure compliance with federal motor carrier safety regulations and hazardous materials regulations.
  

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