KEARNEY, Neb. – On Friday, Dec. 12, members of the Nebraska Firefighters Foundation and area dignitaries proudly gripped the gold shovels that turned the first clods of dirt for the Nebraska Firefighters Museum & Education Center just west of the Great Platte River Road Archway Monument in Central Neb.

A large crowd gathered for the 10:56 a.m. event to celebrate this remarkable accomplishment for the state. This unusual time that was chosen for the occasion was in reference to 10-56 being the dispatch radio code for Nebraska’s fire departments.
 

State and local officials took part in the ceremony for this monumental occasion and spoke on the statewide impact of the completion of this facility. Presenters included Master of Ceremonies Brad Kernick, chairman of the Kearney Visitors Bureau; Alex Straatmann, representing Congressman Adrian Smith; Dave Oldfather, chairman of the Great Platte River Road Archway Board of Directors; Dick Pierce, chairman of the Buffalo County Board of Supervisors; Stan Clouse, Mayor of the City of Kearney; Joel Johnson, State Senator, District 37; David Bertram, Chief Deputy of the Nebraska Fire Marshals Office; and Norm Hoeft, chairman of the Nebraska Firefighters Foundation.

Representatives from BD Construction of Kearney unveiled the image of the Nebraska Firefighters Museum & Education Center that they will be constructing over the next several months.

Dirt work at the site will commence in late December in preparation for the delivery of the building structure on February 12, 2009. Construction on the building itself is expected to begin in mid-February. According to Mike Kalb, business development manager of BD Construction, the completion of the project is projected for the end of Spring 2009.

Due to the central location in the state, and the prime positioning along Interstate-80 on the Archway Plaza, The Nebraska Firefighters Museum & Education Center will be a destination point for all of Nebraska residents to visit and learn.

An upcoming new Interstate-80 interchange that will be completed in the next few years will make the facility even more accessible to interstate travelers.

Visit www.nebraskafirefightersmuseum.org for more information about The Nebraska Firefighter Museum & Education Center and how YOU and YOUR department can be a part of the development of YOUR museum.