Barneston Rural Volunteer Fire Department

Category: Human Services
Barneston Rural Volunteer Fire Department


This Year's Project:


About Our Organization

The Barneston Volunteer Fire Department was formed in 1956 to serve the small town of Barneston and the immediate surrounding area. Since then the department has transformed into the Barneston Rural Volunteer Fire Department serving not only the town of Barneston, but also the surrounding area including the Village of Liberty 8 miles away. Our department consist of 20 volunteer firefighters, 5 rural board members, 3 grass rigs, 1 engine, and 1 tender tanker.



Current Project:





Past Projects

  • Purchase new refrigerator/small chest freezer for fire Station.


    Project Details

    For our Big Give Gage 2022 Project we have decided it is time to look at replacing our 30+ year old refrigerator at our fire station. Currently we have an old refrigerator that was donated to us a few years back, and unfortunately due to its age it is becoming unreliable. A refrigerator and freezer are critical appliances for our fire department because they are used to keep cases of water and bags of ice cold and ready to go when we need them for hydration during high intensity calls. We also use the refrigerator and freezer to store meat and other goods leading up to our fundraisers, and after to store the leftovers for feeding our firefighters at monthly meetings and after calls when necessary. Unfortunately, due to its age the old appliance has started performing very poorly and the freezer portion is getting bad enough it needs to be defrosted at least once a month. Recently the ice built up so bad that it pushed the freezer compartment door open, and by the time it was noticed the freezer had defrosted soaking everything in the refrigerator with water and completely thawing all the contents inside the freezer resulting in several pounds of meat having to be thrown away due to food safety concerns. Currently we have just a standard freezer over fridge model, and that is what we intend to stay with as far as a refrigerator. We also feel that adding a small chest freezer (something like 5 cubic feet) would be a good addition that would give us enough freezer space so that we could keep bags of ice on hand at the station. The closest place for us to buy ice is in Wymore which is 10 miles away. Having ice on hand at the station will be much more convenient for us than our current situation where we have to send someone to go buy the ice when we need it. Having plenty of cold water and ice readily available is key to keeping our firefighters hydrated so that they can carry out their duties safely and efficiently while responding to calls. We have researched online prices with local retailers and feel that $1400 is roughly what it will take to buy the most basic standard size refrigerator and small chest freezer for our department. We would like to thank you for taking the time to read about our 2022 project.

  • Supply adequate personal protective equipment for our volunteer firefighters

    Raised $750.00 Towards the Goal of $15,000.00


    Project Wrap Up

    We did fall short of our goal for our first year participating in Big Give Gage and getting the feel for things. Our goal for purchasing better personal protective gear for our firefighters was about half of the total cost which came in at about $30,000. During the event we raised a little less than $1000, but every penny did help and was much appreciated!! With the help of the generous donors who contributed to our goal along with a local grant and funds we had saved up we were able to purchase four sets of Viking Warrior structural turnout gear, 20 sets of Viking Shield Dual Certified Gear that we use primarily for wildland fires, and 20 pairs of Pro-Tech 8 Fusion Fire Gloves. All gear was purchased through Fyr-Tek. Being able to upgrade our old gear was a huge achievement for our small town volunteer fire department and goes a long ways towards keeping our team safe and making sure they get to go home to the families at the end of the day. Thank you to all who helped us achieve this!!!

    Project Details

    Our project is to provide our volunteers with the proper personal protective equipment to protect them, and make sure they can effectively and efficiently perform their duties when called upon to protect members of our community's lives and property. It's 2021, as much as we all wish we could roll back time 20 years, we can't. Unfortunately 20-25 years is the average age of gear our members are wearing when they respond to a scene. As our gear has aged, the fire ground has also matured. Fires today are burning hotter and faster than ever before. To put it into perspective 30 years ago if you were to wake up to your smoke alarm sounding off you would have had an estimated time of between 15-20 minutes, depending on multiple factors, to safely escape the house. Today studies show that time has been significantly reduced to around 3-5 minutes tops. Along with rapid progression times, studies have also shown that fires today can produce up to 100 times as much toxic smoke as a fire would have 20 years ago. The main factors contributing to these statistic changes are the changes in modern manufacturing. Furniture in todays homes is made out of synthetics, plastics, and petroleum based products, compared to years past when furniture was made out of natural products such as wood and cotton. Unfortunately the nice oversized comfortable recliners we all like to kick back in at night, when on fire are pouring toxic carcinogens into the atmosphere around them in the form of smoke and invisible gas, which is then absorbed into the skin of the firefighters trying to extinguish the blaze if they are not properly protected.. There are two leading causes of death among firefighters today. Cancer and heart attacks. And that is why it is our department's top priority to replace our heavy outdated turnout gear that was designed to protect firefighters from the fire elements of 20 years ago, with proper gear that has been strategically designed to protect firefighters from the advanced danger of fires in 2021. Total estimated cost to replace all department issued turnout gear is around $70,000. With your generous donation towards our goal of $15000, no matter how big or small, you would be contributing to helping put nearly a quarter of our firefighters into gear they can rely on to protect them not only from the flames of the next fire they respond to, but the health hazards that will be associated with that same fire several years later in their lives.





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Barneston Rural Volunteer Fire Department

110 Grand Avenue
Barneston, NE 68309

 
(402) 914-0229

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