About Us THE FAGEN-MILLER STORY The Fagen-Miller Family has been involved in ambulance service since the inception of ambulance service in Lake County. In the late 1800s Michael Fagen, the great-grandfather of the current owners, started a furniture store in Dyer, Indiana. As was common in that day, the furniture makers were responsible for making caskets for the deceased. Without a funeral director in Town, Michael Fagen and his wife took the role as the Town’s funeral directors. In the early 1900s as doctors and hospitals became prevalent in the area, the need for transporting the sick and injured became a necessity. The main requirements necessary to provide transportation were quite basic. The provider of ambulance service at the time needed someone who was available 24 hours a day, and most importantly had a vehicle long enough that could transport a person lying down. A basic knowledge of anatomy was a plus. The funeral director, who often lived at the funeral home, was a perfect match. As things progressed, automotive ambulances replaced horse-drawn carriages, first-aid training started to become popular, and gasoline and speed was replaced by oxygen as the best thing you could provide the patient. The Fagen family continued to be the lead provider of ambulance service in their area with the purchase of a 1932 Nash ambulance. As Lake County grew so did we. In the 1940s the Fagen’s opened a second funeral home in Highland and the ownership transferred to the second generation being operated by Nicholas and Eva Fagen. In 1950, Maureen Miller the granddaughter of Michael Fagen, who grew up at the Dyer Funeral home married Robert Miller. Robert and Maureen (Reene) Miller later took over operation of the Funeral Homes and of course the ambulance service. To acknowledge the new leadership the name was changed to Fagen-Miller. They later expanded even further and opened a third funeral home in Griffith. In 1981, Robert Miller died unexpectently of a heart attack at the age of 50. Maureen and her four children, Larry, Jerry, Terri, and Gary were thrust into the responsibility of operating the three funeral homes and the ambulance service that had three vehicles. From 1981 to 1995 the ambulance service grew at a phenomenal rate. Fagen-Miller had 24 ambulances and 24 wheelchair vans. Fagen-Miller was the emergency ambulance provider for the Towns of Highland, Dyer, Griffith, St. John and unincorporated St. John Township. All of these areas, excluding Griffith, had used Fagen-Miller as their main provider since ambulance service originated. They also provided non-emergency transportation to seven of Lake County’s eight hospitals as well as many of the areas nursing facilities. In 1995, Fagen-Miller merged with two other family owned ambulance services to form Consolidated Medical Transportation, Inc. (Co*Med). This merger was designed to better serve the changing medical industry that started to include HMO’s, PPO’s and other managed care programs. Gary, Terri, and Jerry Miller were active in the operation of Co*Med but quickly became disenchanted with the service that was being provided by the new conglomeration. In 1998, Co*Med decided to discontinue the wheelchair service to over 100 Indiana dialysis patients because it was not returning enough income. This was done over the strong objection of the Miller family who then began their departures from Co*Med within a year. On July 13, 1998, the Miller family started a new service. The original name was Fagen-Miller Medical Transportation, Inc. Many former employees from Co*Med were operating the service, which provided transportation only to ambulatory and wheelchair patients, who had became disenchanted with the consolidation. These employees provided terrific service and the facilities that we were serving encouraged us to expand into the ambulance business. In October of 1998 the Miller family purchased a small ambulance service in East Chicago. We also adopted the name of the service and since then we have been known as PROMPT Medical Transportation, Inc. now doing business as PROMPT Ambulance Service. THE PROMPT AMBULANCE SERVICE HISTORY From our beginnings in July 1998, we experienced unprecedented growth! This necessitated moving from East Chicago to Griffith in May of 2000. Our growth continued and in 2001 we again saw large increases in our call volume. With more calls coming in, we doubled our staff and bought many more ambulances. Almost two years of straight growth! Soon we were outgrowing our facility again. July 2003 we purchased our current base at 9835 Express Drive in Highland, Indiana. Our new location places us within 15 miles of all eight Lake County Hospitals. This facility is 16,000 square feet. However to our surprise we realized that we needed an additional location and purchased our Merrillville base in December 2005 which allows us to house all our vehicles. In 2007 we are expanding again by opening a base in Valparaiso. PROMPT Ambulance Service provides Basic and Advanced Life Support Ambulance service as well as transportation for patients who are ambulatory or confined to a wheelchair. Gary Miller currently serves as Reimbursement Chairman for the IAA and has been appointed as a member of the Indiana EMS Commission by three different governors. He has served on this Commission since 2000. Gary has been active in many organizations in the past. He has served as the President of: Highland Chamber of Commerce, Griffith Chamber of Commerce, Griffith Jaycees, Lake County Heart Association, and the Northwest Indiana Continuity of Care. Gary is a board member of the American Red Cross and Workforce Development. Shar serves as a board member of Meals on Wheels and is past president of Friends of Hospice—Hospice of the Calumet Area. Prompt Ambulance supports many local and national organizations such as: American Cancer Society American Heart Association American Red Cross Calumet Council—Boy Scouts Campagna Academy, Inc. Community Hospital Cancer Research Crisis Center, Inc. Dollars for Scholars Gary Chamber of Commerce Girl Scouts Griffith Chamber of Commerce Griffith F.O.P. Griffith Historical Society Highland Chamber of Commerce Hospice of the Calumet Area Humane Society Calumet Area Lions Club Meals on Wheels Munster Chamber of Commerce National Kidney Foundation Northwest Indiana Symphony Rotary Club Schererville Chamber of Commerce Share Foundation St. Catherine's Hospital South Shore Arts The Methodist Hospitals Trade Winds