The annual number of emergency calls handled by the Newton Fire Department each of the past five years has remained consistent according to Newton Fire Chief Jarrod Wellik. He says that yearly number is around 3,500.

“Just like always, 90% of them come from EMS. Last year it was 3,152. That’s a lot of EMS calls. If you think you are always hearing sirens in town, you are. It’s pretty steady. In fact, that translates into 9.7 calls per 24-hour shift.”

The Newton fire chief says that’s one call every 2 hours and 28 minutes. When Wellik joined the Newton Fire Department in 2010-2011, total calls were around 2,000 per year. Those 1,700 EMS and 300 fire runs equated to six calls per 24 hour shift, which is a call every four hours and eighteen minutes.