Department Profile
The Newport Township Fire District is located in Lake County, Illinois along the Wisconsin border approximately half-way between Chicago and Milwaukee. Newport serves portions of the villages of Old Mill Creek, Wadsworth, Beach Park, as well as unincorporated Newport Township including the communities of Rosecrans and Russell. Emergency response duties include firefighting, paramedic emergency medical services, water and technical rescue and hazardous material situations. Firefighters also assist residents with smoke and carbon monoxide detectors as well as being good neighbors.
Fire District Quick Information:
- 31.8 square miles in area
- 40% Residential
- 35% Agricultural/Open Space/Undeveloped
- 22% Lake County Forest Preserves
- 3% Commercial/Industrial
- 2017 Population Estimate: 6,750
- Fire Station 1 (Headquarters)
- 39010 N. Caroline Avenue
- Wadsworth, Illinois
- Staffed 24/7 – 3 Firefighter/medics
- Fire Station 2
- 43320 N. Highway 41
- (Old Route 41 north of Russell Road)
- Zion, Illinois
- Staffed 24/7 – 2 Firefighter/medics
- Staffing:
- Fire Chief: Mark Kirschhoffer (volunteer)
- Deputy Fire Chief: Paul Maplethorpe (volunteer)
- Division Chief EMS: Hank Govekar (volunteer)
- Fire Prevention Officer: Trudy Maatta
- Full-time Sworn Firefighter/Paramedics (2)
- Full-time Contract Firefighter/Medics (7)
- Paid-on-Premise (part-time) Firefighter/Medics (35)
- Board of Trustees
- President Joe Kust
- Treasurer Bruce Cramer
- Secretary James Belli
- FY18-19 Budget: $1,746,070
- FY18-19 property Taxes Collected: $1,356,542
Mutual Aid
Emergency service providers recognize that emergency incidents grow in size to overwhelm the capabilities of a single fire department. Mutual Aid is a concept that dates back to the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and before. Newport is a member of the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) belonging to MABAS Division 4. MABAS was organized in northeast Illinois in 1968 and has grown to the largest fire service mutual aid organization in the nation with over 2,500 member fire departments in Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Indiana, Michigan and Iowa.
Newport also partners with other fire departments in Lake, McHenry and Kenosha counties to provide efficient responses to water rescue incidents, hazardous material events, technical rescues including rope, trench, confined space and structural collapse incidents.
Fire Prevention Activities
Illinois state statutes require that each fire protection district inspect all public buildings at least once per year. Newport’s fire prevention inspector accomplishes this task, and through an agreement with Beach Park Fire Protection District, assists with their fire prevention activities. Reviewing plans for permitted construction, other than for one and two-family homes, is another important activity to keep firefighters, residents and visitors safe. Community fire safety education is another important task. Firefighters routinely visit the four elementary schools in the Fire District as well as host community and youth groups at the Fire Station.
