Newport and St. Paul Park have transitioned to Fairview EMS for primary ambulance service as of Tuesday, Sept. 1, following final approval from the Minnesota Office of Emergency Medical Services.
The City of Newport announced that Fairview EMS notified city officials Friday, Aug. 21, that the state had officially approved the service change. The approval completed the state process necessary to move Newport and neighboring St. Paul Park into Fairview's ambulance service area.
Fairview EMS, Cottage Grove and Washington County dispatch will work together during the transition to help ensure continuity of emergency medical services.
The change will add Newport and St. Paul Park to a Fairview EMS service area that already includes several communities in the southeast Twin Cities metropolitan area. Fairview provides ambulance service to Eagan, Rosemount, Inver Grove Heights, Mendota Heights, West St. Paul, South St. Paul, Sunfish Lake, Lilydale and Coates.
Although Fairview EMS is headquartered in St. Paul, its ambulances operate from bases throughout its service territory rather than solely from a central station. Units are positioned according to current and anticipated call volumes.
As part of the arrangement, the Newport City Hall and Fire Station will be available for use as an ambulance base when needed.
City officials also provided information about Fairview's response times following questions about how quickly ambulances could reach emergency calls.
According to the latest quarterly figures shared by the city, Fairview EMS had an average emergency response time of 7 minutes, 28 seconds throughout its service and mutual aid areas. Emergency responses generally include calls requiring lights and sirens.
Fairview reported an average non-emergency response time of 8 minutes, 7 seconds. The response times are measured from the point Fairview is notified by Washington County dispatch until an ambulance arrives at the scene.
Residents will also have an opportunity to meet Fairview EMS personnel and learn more about the new ambulance provider during the Newport Fire Department Booya on Sunday, Sept. 20.
Fairview EMS representatives will be at the event from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Residents will be able to meet staff, ask questions, view emergency vehicles and learn more about Fairview's ambulance operations.
The Sept. 1 transition comes after the two cities worked through the process of changing ambulance service areas, with the state approval representing the final regulatory step before Fairview could assume primary ambulance responsibilities.