First Line Of Duty Death Mourned By Newtown Ambulance Squad

NEWTOWN, PA ? The Newtown Ambulance Squad is mourning its first line of duty death in its 70 year history.

After completing a call with Newtown on Oct. 16, full-time paramedic Thomas Evans returned to his home in Springfield, Delaware County, where he passed away. He was 64.

Because he died within 24 hours of his last call, his death is considered line of duty, according to Newtown Ambulance Squad Chief Evan Resnikoff, and will be added to the Fallen Firefighters and EMS memorial in Doylestown.

Evans will be laid to rest this week in Delaware County after a nearly 35 year career in the emergency medical services, including the past seven years working full-time with the Newtown Ambulance Squad. He also served part-time with the Warrington Community Ambulance Corps and was a former member of Warminster Ambulance.

A viewing will be held from 9:30 to 11 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 26 followed by a Celebration of Life service with full honors at 11 a.m. at the Rigby, Harting, & Hagan Funeral Home located at 15 East 4th Street, Media.

The Newtown Ambulance Squad, Warrington Community Ambulance, and the Bucks County Honor Guard will be taking part in the funeral.

"He was a very dedicated public servant," said Resnikoff."He was an example of a person who was all in. When it came time to respond to a call, he was focused on that call and nothing else regardless of what was going on in his life. He never wavered and was very consistent with everything he did."

Resnikoff said all the older guys in Bucks EMS have known him a long time.

"I worked with him in Bensalem. I was his supervisor and his duty chief years ago. He always had a strong desire to help people. And he was extremely dedicated to the profession."

Evans also loved to teach, added Resnikoff.

"He has taught EMT classes in Bucks County for many, many years. He was never too busy to stop and teach somebody, whether it was a new paramedic, a new EMT or a volunteer aspiring to be an EMT," said Resnikoff.

His shoes will be hard to fill, added Resnikoff. "You can't replace 35 years of experience. It was a shock to everyone here. Some people you think they are always going to be there until they are not."

Evans, who lived his life to the fullest, was literally a jack of all trades, reads his obituary.

He worked in the commercial deep sea diving industry on an oil rig as well as in the Tourist Diving Industry as a dive instructor for several years in the Cayman Islands. He was an auto mechanic with McCafferty Ford in Bucks County and was also an Indy Racing League racer.

However, Tom's true love was emergency service. He loved being a fireman and a paramedic, his obituary reads.

Tom's career as a paramedic spanned more than three decades and numerous EMS squads. He was a full-time medic with Newtown EMS since November 2016, part-time medic with Warrington Community Ambulance Corps and is a life-member of the Nottingham Fire Department in Bensalem.

When Tom was not working or teaching, he enjoyed riding his Harley Road Glide, escorting veterans to Washington, D.C., with Honor Flight, traveling to exotic places to scuba dive and using his Disney Vacation Club membership. He also loved animals, especially his dog Harley.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Newtown EMS Inc., 2651 S. Eagle Road, Newtown 18940, http://newtownambulance.org; Warrington Community Ambulance Corp, 1140 Easton Road, P.O. Box 787, Warrington 18976, http://warringtonems.com; or the Nottingham Fire Department, 3420 Street Road, Bensalem 19020, http://www.nfd65.com/.