The Wayne Township Fire Department will not complete its merger with the Indianapolis Fire Department by the end of the year and will plan to remain independent for the “near future,” according to the township trustee’s office.
At the beginning of 2023, Wayne Township faced the prospect of a multimillion dollar budget shortfall by the end of 2025.
In order to cut its spending, the township board voted unanimously in January to allow its emergency medical services to merge with Indianapolis EMS and voted in February to allow its fire department to merge with the Indianapolis Fire Department.
The township’s EMS completed its merger with Indianapolis in March, but the fire department merger talks continued.
Now, Wayne Township Trustee Jeb Bardon said the EMS merger and other cost-cutting measures have allowed the township to stabilize its budget and keep the fire department independent for the time being.
Bardon said service to township residents would not be affected by the stalled talks.
The Indianapolis Fire Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Bardon said the township has begun negotiations for a new contract with its firefighters and will work to create a fire department budget for 2025.
The Wayne Township Fire Department recently became the first multi-station fire department to install Safe Haven Baby Boxes at all five of its fire stations.
Mirror Indy reporter Enrique Saenz covers west Indianapolis. Contact him at 317-983-4203 or enrique.saenz@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @heyEnriqueSaenz.
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