SHELBYVILLE, Ind. — Firefighters in Shelbyville are finding creative ways to get around town amid some construction in the area.
Right outside Fire Station 639, construction crews are doing work on McKay Road in Shelbyville. Firefighters have adapted to that road work, which started on Monday.
“They’ve changed it to one way only, which has restricted our response times and delayed some of those responses,” said Shelbyville Fire Department Deputy Chief Matthew Stone.
The department has a UTV that is often used for emergencies on trails in the area. After road work began right outside the station on Monday, the department decided to put its UTV in full throttle to help navigate through that construction and still respond to some emergencies as efficiently as possible.
It has all of the same bells and whistles in a fraction of the size of what you might expect to normally show up on a 911 call.
“When we respond on a call, it’s called UTV 691,” Stone described.
The department said the UTV makes it far easier for first responders to get to certain calls, like medical emergencies, while the construction lasts. FOX59/CBS4 rode inside the station’s fire engine, which could not turn left on McKay Road. Instead, it had to go all the way around the block.
That was not the case for the UTV.
“Having to turn right and go all the way around the block puts us at a three-to-five-minute response time, Stone said. “With the UTV, we can cut right across the soccer field and be to those same places in 30 to 45 seconds.”
Though it might seem like a tiny emergency vehicle, the Shelbyville Fire Department said UTV 691 is equipped with everything it needs for any medical emergency.
“This thing is fully set up,” said Lt. Josh Hutchinson. “We have all A.L.S. [Advanced Life Support] equipment just like we have on the engine. It’s set up with all the same equipment. We have these bags. Really the only thing that is different is we have to grab our [heart] monitor.”
The station will still use its firetruck anytime fire equipment is needed, but the UTV will be used frequently on medical calls. The department said the UTV has already been pretty busy since road work began on Monday.
“We run about 75% EMS and about 25% fire-related,” Stone said. “So, if you can do those numbers, three to five times a day this UTV is responding out the door.”
Construction is expected to be done in about a month. Deputy Chief Stone said the UTV will keep responding to one emergency at a time until that work is finished.
