Overview
The Newton Fire Department is the sole provider of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) within the City of Newton. The department has a long history of emergency medical service, going back to 1962. The Fire Department uses a fully integrated system, utilizing dual-role firefighters in the delivery of fire and emergency medical services. The firefighters are certified to a minimum level of Emergency Medical Paramedic. Each crew is staffed with a minimum of 5 Iowa Paramedic Specialists and 3 of our Paramedic Specialists are Critical Care Transport endorsed (CCT).
Training
Fire Department members are trained to the American Heart Association Health Care Provider level and provide the following services:
- Basic Life Support
- Advanced Life Support
- Critical Care Transport
- Routine & Emergency Transfers between Facilities
Every two years the department’s EMT-PS’s attend a minimum of 60 hours of continuing education in a variety of basic and advanced emergency medical topics. Firefighter and EMT's are trained in emergency cardiac defibrillation and on every cardiac call respond with an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) capable of providing cardiac interpretation and manual defibrillation.
The EMS Program Manager works directly with the Medical Director for continuous quality improvement (CQI). Although some of our service delivery goals are imposed by the State (e.g. response time, staffing, training), the Fire Department remains committed in its efforts to constantly improve service delivery.