Wishard is home to one of the oldest and largest hospital-based ambulance services in the country. The Wishard Ambulance Service provides the 911 emergency ambulance services to the city of Indianapolis, Wayne and Decatur Townships as well as the town of Speedway. It staffs a fleet of 25 advanced life-support ambulances that are strategically placed throughout Marion County, 18 of which are in operation at any given time and respond to more than 60,000 requests annually.
In 2009, Wishard's fleet of ambulances became the first emergency medical services agency in the world to be equipped with new electronic medical record technology that allow paramedics and emergency medical technicians the ability to obtain vital patient health history by accessing their hospital medical records.
The Wishard Ambulance Service also has an active role in the hundreds of special events that take place in Indianapolis every year. It provides EMTs and paramedics for parades, marathons, sporting events and other large gatherings that attract 100 to 500,000 people or more. It provides dedicated ambulances for the Indianapolis Colts during their home games, and its paramedics provide in-track coverage for the Indy Racing League, Formula One and NASCAR events.
The EMS education staff provides educational opportunities for Ambulance Service employees as well as the Indianapolis community. These classes include state-certified EMT and paramedic courses, advanced cardiac life support, pediatric advanced life support, pre-hospital trauma life support, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, defensive driving and others as required. Some of the staff members are also faculty of the IU School of Medicine, School of Allied Health Sciences Emergency Medical Services Program.