Anthony Newman, from Tucson, AZ, Fire, Earns 2025 EVT of the Year Honor

Moving from a vehicle dealership, then a heavy truck shop to the Tucson, AZ, Fire Department fleet were big career changes for, Anthony “Tony” Newman, but he has looked forward to the new challenges he meets. Eleven years after joining Tucson, he was named the 2025 Emergency Vehicle Technician of the Year.

“It's not just a job, it's kind of a hobby and it's a passion,” Newman said when learned about receiving the award. “It’s not really a grind. Every day is different.”

Newman, a Master Emergency Vehicle Technician (EVT) with Tucson Fire Department’s Fleet Management, is among 25 nominees for the award, which honors the unsung heroes in the fire department. It is presented by Spartan Motors and Firehouse for their dedication to the firefighters and the citizens who rely on response-ready emergency vehicles. 

“Congratulations to Tony Newman for this well-deserved recognition,” said Spartan Fire Chassis Sales Director Jeff Seal. “Emergency Vehicle Technicians are a vital part of our industry and the team at Spartan Fire Chassis is proud to sponsor this award to help recognize and celebrate their contributions. We look forward to the presentation of this award to Tony at REV Group’s annual Fire Truck Training Conference in Lansing, MI.” 

“He's very talented. He's not only a Craftsman, but he’s also a technican,” said Jerry Drake, Fleet Manager for Tucson Fire who made the nomination “If we assign work to him, he does take care it and he is successful with, ambulances, specialty equipment, we have the pumpers, the aerials, we have all of it here and he works on it all and he does a phenomenal job on it. We're very fortunate and the citizens of Tucson are very fortunate that we have someone like that, and he just has a great attitude.” 

“It wasn't until Jerry showed me the nomination letter,” Newman recalled. “He sees it as above and beyond. I don't see it that way, I see it as my everyday job.”

Newman loves working on vehicles and started in the field pumping gas, filling tires and general vehicle maintenance. He spent 20 years at auto dealerships but found that the work was not challenging enough. He began working for the Arizona Department of Transportation as a heavy truck mechanic when a life-long friend, William Pisani, talked him into joining him at the Tucson shops.  

“Will would work on one side of the shop, I was on the other and they kind of blended us together,” Newman said as the fleet shops consolidated.

Newman and Pisani – who received third place in the 2024 EVT of the Year Award – were commuting buddies, traveling 70 miles each way to work. Pisani recently retired. 

Now, commuting alone, Newman says he has an hour and 15 minutes to plan his workday on the way to work, and another hour and 15 minutes to reflect on his day on the way home. The commute, he says, “is very therapeutic.”

Newman holds nearly two dozen Automative Service Excellence and Emergency Vehicle Technician certifications and Drake said that it is a big help to the shops because Newman can fill-in as supervisor and has the training to back him.

The biggest difference from the auto dealerships to the emergency fleets?

“The variety breaks it up for me and helps build up your skills because there are always more things you have to learn. You have stay on top of it,” Newman said.

Projects big and small

When Newman was tasked with building a voltage regulator bracket because others breaking, he used a gusset that would prevent flexing and that solved the problem, Drake said.  

When he encountered unused space, he crafted a compartment that had a chute, rack and door at the back of a pumper body.

Drake said the OEMs have liked Newman’s designs so much, they now use some of them in their factory builds.

In the nomination, Drake highlighted Newman’s ingenuity when it came time to help firefighters assigned to a Type 3 wildland rig that needed to carry a 200-pound spare tire. It was nearly impossible for the crew to handle but the rig could not leave for deployments without the tire.

On top of the rig, he fashioned a locking tire rack. To get the heavy tire on top of the rig, and to avoid injuries to his firefighters, Newman designed a portable crane that can be installed on the pumper’s body to lift the tire to the top of the rig and drop it in place. The portable crane can then be stored on the rig’s body and not interfere with firefighting operations.

Reflecting on the various customizations and problem-solving fabrications he’s been tasked with, Newman is most proud of a roof-mounted console that he designed to handle emergency warning equipment for a side-by-side vehicle. 

He spent nearly a week working on plans to get all the components and wiring into one spot. The design had to be rugged due to the conditions the side-by-side works in. It also has a single harness for all wires connected to the vehicle’s lighting system.

“He takes a lot of pride in what he does and some of the things that he does, you know that he comes up with and fabricates, they look like they’re from the OEM. This is one example,” Drake recalled.

Duty shifts mean time away from family

Drake was quick to point out that Newman’s rotating, week-long on-duty mechanic shift means he will spend a week away from his family.

Because of the long distance from home, Newman will spend the week staying at the stations to avoid any delays on critical work that needs to be done on the fleet.

“That's a sacrifice for him and his family because that's a week away from his family,” explained Drake. “He’ll come in (to the shops) on Saturday and he'll work a shift here and then he'll either go back to the station or he'll do errands around here in town.”

Paying it forward

Newman loves to learn and takes that commitment seriously. 

“That's the main thing,” Newman said. “Whatever I can share and whatever I can retain to help somebody else, that's what's going to help me get through the next job.

He pays it forward it through his involvement with the Arizona Fire Mechanics Association, where he serves as vice president. He has organized classes for Arizona mechanics and the Southeast Emergency Vehicle Technician Conference, in Fort Worth, TX.

“He takes his own time off, it’s a lot of the time, to participate in these meetings and to travel and go about and do the business with the associations,” Drake said. 

His commitment to education doesn’t stop there. He wants to strengthen current EVTs’ abilities, and he is developing a mentoring program. He is also making strides to introduce more people to the career. 

He said there are only currently 8,000 EVTs worldwide and there’s a critical need for more. 

“Districts are only getting bigger. The work is getting tougher, but our EVT numbers are still very low,” said Newman.

“Through different seminars or Spartan’s Fire Truck Training Conference, or the Southwest EVT Conference, there is quite a bit that just being able to network and share that information with is key.”

Drake pointed out that the certification process is ongoing and a big commitment, which Newman takes seriously. 

“To be an EVT, you have all the certifications and that's quite an accomplishment,” said Drake. “You're you're getting done with one certification and it's time to recertify on two more. You know it's continuous, so he stays very relevant. So, hats off to Tony for having all of those.” 

Becoming a successful EVT

When asked how others can strive to be named EVT of the Year in the future, Newman offered the following advice: “Become a sponge. Take on any kind of training you can get, because it will help. With networking, get as much information as you can. Share whatever you learn, because the stuff isn't top secret. But it's necessary to be taken care of.”

“I get to see my work, day-to-day, going down the street, going to the grocery store, whatever it is…I get to see what I've done to go out and help in the city,” said Newman.  “That was rewarding. It still is.”