As time passes and change occurs, new duties and responsibilities are directed toward the fire service. At Newton Fire/EMS, the department strives to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to specialized services for the community. Each of these services exists to provide safety and protection to the citizens of Newton and Harvey County.

Disaster Medical Service Unit

The Disaster Medical Support Unit team is dedicated to providing emergency medical care and patient evacuations during natural or man-made disasters, or in times of national security emergencies. The DMSU team is designed to augment and aid local jurisdictions who are overwhelmed in managing patient care, ICS, or other medical branch command operations. We are committed to serving the citizens of Kansas and the United States of America as an emergency response team based on the principles of teamwork, professionalism, and a willingness to serve others.

The DMSU team has provided medical care at numerous events such as the Symphony in the Flint Hills, U.S. Amateur Public Links Golf Tournament, and the DAM music festival. The DMSU team has also been involved in local incidents including the Baxter Springs tornado, Rice County wildfires, and the Hesston Excel shooting. 

Technical Rescue Team

The Technical Rescue Team (TRT) is an eight-member unit cross-trained in various areas including building collapse, high-angle rescue, low-angle rescue, swift water operations, boat rescue and recovery, confined space and trench rescue. The unit trains together monthly to maintain operational readiness and proficiency. The TRT has been involved in local incidents and assisted in operations after the Greensburg, Chapman, and Eureka tornadoes as well as a grain rescue operation in McPherson County. Our team was also involved federally with deployment to Hurricane Harvey for swift-water rescue operations in 2017. 

Emergency Response Team

In the early 1990s, the Harvey County Emergency Response Team (ERT) was created to resolve volatile law enforcement situations requiring advanced skills, equipment and operations. In a progressive move, ERT chose to include paramedics as a necessary element to their operational response. The paramedics were chosen from Newton Fire/EMS personnel who expressed interest in the opportunity. Over the years, ERT has strived to maintain at least two paramedics on the unit and was one of the first tactical teams in Kansas to do so.