Newton renews its mutual assistance contract with outside county agencies

The mutual assistance contract between the City of Newton and a number of fire departments and rescue services in the Polk County area has now been updated, ensuring future backup if ever there was a large-scale emergency in the city. In some extreme cases, the contract ensures Newton can help Polk County, too.

Newton City Council voted 6-0 to approve the updated contract, which only received language updates from the Polk County Fire Chief’s Association. The agreement was originally adopted by city council back in December 2016. It can be canceled after a 60-day notice to the Polk County Fire Chief’s Association.

Agreements allowing emergency response agencies to provide mutual aid assistance is covered under Iowa Code. The 28E agreement lets agencies request personnel or equipment, subject to availability; the department providing the staffing and equipment has the sole discretion when deciding availability.

Emergency response agencies that are a party to the 28E agreement will not charge for the provision of services unless the incident lasts 12 hours or longer. After which agencies can bill for personnel, equipment and supplies, subject to Federal Emergency Management Agency guidelines.

“This 28E agreement provides more resources for fire and EMS departments in Jasper County in the event an incident overwhelms local and countywide resources,” Newton Fire Marshal Jacob Halferty said, noting one example would be a multi-vehicle pileup on the nearby Interstate 80.

The agreement allows recovery costs for long-term deployments and provides a large pool of resources should Newton experience a large-scale disaster.

According to a copy of the agreement, other agencies outside of Polk County are included in the 28E agreement. Marion County communities like Bussey and Harvey are included, as is Marshalltown Town in Marshall County, Indianola and Norwalk in Warren County and even Waukee in Dallas County.