Newbury Fire & Rescue Department Overview

The resident population of the Town of Newbury according to the 2019 census is 2,228, residing in 1,797 permanent residences, which is the population figure used by most people. However the town has 1,728 seasonal residents and 822 seasonal homes. This calculates to $3,956 total residents. If you count the 42 business properties, there are 2,469 buildings protected by the Newbury Fire Department. The seasonal daily population is even greater with as many as 6,000 skiers at Mount Sunapee on a holiday weekend, 5,000 attendees in one day and 25,000 during the week long Craftsmen’s Fair and 1,420 people at the Sunapee State Beach on a hot summer day.

The Newbury Fire Department provides emergency medical service and the number of people who may need the department’s assistance for injury or illness could be 6,000 or more. This does not include people driving through town or boating on Lake Sunapee. There are 12 miles of state highway and 66 miles of town roads for a total of 78 miles of roadways where there is potential for motor vehicle accidents. There is 8.2 miles of shoreline and 89 boat slips in town posing the potential for boating accidents on the lake. The town has 29.4 miles of hiking trails on Mount Sunapee and in other forested areas of town, where the department responds to lost or injured hikers.

As the population ages, the need for emergency medical services increases, with.37% of Newbury’s residents over 55 and 20% over 65. The Newbury Commons Housing is home to many of these Newbury Residents.

The Newbury Fire Department provides property and emergency medical services protection for the buildings, employees and customers of the towns many businesses and attractions, such as Mount Sunapee Resort, Sunapee State Park, Baker Hill Country Club, and The Fells. Our hotels: Sunapee Lake Lodge, Mountains Edge Resort and The Lake Inn. Restaurants: Bubba’s Bar & Grill, Salt Hill Pub, Newbury Palace Pizza and Marzelli.s Deli.

The Newbury Fire Department is a paid on call fire and emergency medical services department with 28 active members.

The year 2021 was a record year for the Newbury Fire Rescue with a total of 402 Calls for Service. In addition to calls for service 219 Outside burning and fireworks permits were issued, department members assisted in 117 state vaccination clinics, conducted 125 fire safety inspections, attended 42 meetings and were involved in 78 in-house and outside training classes.

In 2021 there were 402 calls for service. The call summary by type is:

Prior Years

In 2020 there were 352 calls for service. The call summary by type is:

In 2019 there were 372 calls for service. The call summary by type is:

In 2018 there were 379 calls for service. The call summary by type is:

In 2017 there were 343 calls for service. The call summary by type is:

The Newbury Fire Department is made up of 26 paid on call members including 9 Nationally Registered Emergency Medical Technicians, Emergency Medical Responder, Emergency Medical Technician, Advanced EMT Levels and Paramedic. Department officers include a chief, assistant chief, captain and three lieutenants. The department operates three engines, a rescue and a tanker out of two stations, a Kubota RTV, a fireboat and a small rescue boat. In 2014 the department responded to a total of 289 calls for service, which averages out to six calls a week for the year.

The Department provides fire and rescue service to he residents of the Town of Newbury and through mutual aid agreements assists the fire departments in the surrounding communities. Newbury firefighters are on call 24 hours a day and are notified of calls by pager from New London Dispatch.

Click here for the Town of Newbury Community Profile

The Newbury Fire Department serves the Town of Newbury, located on the south end of Lake Sunapee, in west central New Hampshire. The town, incorporated in 1772, has a population of 2,101, which swells in the winter with Skiing at Mount Sunapee and in the summer with recreation activities on Lake Sunapee. Route 103, a major state road between Interstate 89 in Warner and Claremont. The town has 1,563, housing units, with many of the newer homes built on or overlooking the lake selling for over a million dollars.

As with most fire departments throughout the country, most of the departments emergency responses are for medical emergencies. Medical calls were 42% of the responses in 2015. Automobile accidents are a leading cause of many of these medical calls. During 2015, fires accounted for only 4 of the department's 283 calls. The high percentage of firefighter/emergency medical technicians on the department ensures that medically trained personnel are available for each response.

Due to the potential seriousness, yet infrequency of structure fires in the community, the Newbury firefighters continuously train to maintain their firefighting skills.Training certifications range from Level One to Career Level Firefighter. A number of the department members have over twenty years of experience.

Forest areas, such as on Mt. Sunapee and other areas of the town pose the potential for brush fires, with more homes being built adjacent to these wooded areas, the department's rapid response and extinguishing of these fires more critical. Unlike other parts of the state where fire roads allow access to the forest areas, the steep terrain and dense forest growth of the mountain make vehicle travel impassible. Brush firefighting must be done on foot with hand tools and Newbury firefighters are trained and equipped for this difficult task. The sports of hiking, mountain biking and dirt biking often in remote areas makes rescue difficult when there are accidents and injuries.

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Mount Sunapee Resort is the town's largest employer and during the winter, skiers increase the daytime population of the town considerably. The mountain's ski patrol handles medical emergencies on the slopes and the Newbury Fire Department supports the patrol in the event of serious injuries. The influx of visitors in stormy winter weather conditions also results in motor vehicle accidents that the department must respond to. There are numerous snowmobile trails in the town as well as the lake and accidents involving these snow vehicles who can travel at high speeds is fairly frequent.

Lake Sunapee takes up a large section of the town and summer homes on Great Island are only accessible by water. The Newbury Fire Department's fireboat provides the only fire protection to homes on the island. As many homes along the lake are down steep narrow roads, the boat often has better access than the engines on land. The boat's fire pumps, capable of drafting from the lake, provide an excellent source of water for firefighting, even some distance from the shore. Although the lake touches two other towns, Newbury has the only fireboat and provides mutual aid to the towns of New London and Sunapee.

The fireboat also responds to boat fires and boating accidents on Lake Sunapee. Certainly not as common as boating accidents, but the use of seaplanes on the lake has resulted in the department responding to two aircraft emergencies on the lake over the years. During the winter, ice fishing and winter sports on the lake also poses the threat of accidents and injuries.

The New London Ambulance Service supports the Newbury Fire Department in providing medical transport to of the injured to New London Hospital. The Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center helicopter (DHART) responds to serious medical emergencies requiring helicopter transport to a hospital.

New London Dispatch provides 911 call taking and dispatch to the Newbury Fire Department. The fire departments in the surrounding towns of Sunapee, Bradford, Newport, New London, Goshen, and Sutton provide mutual aid support to the Newbury Fire Department in the event of a major fire or other emergency.  

Complete information on the Newbury Fire Department apparatus and operations in other sections of the website.

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