New spacious fire station for Broken Bow Volunteer Fire & Rescue

BROKEN BOW, Neb.

Folks in Broken Bow have a new sight to see.

On Thursday, the Volunteer Fire and Rescue team opened its doors to their new fire house.

brand new on eight acres, built for efficiency and officially servicing the community of Broken Bow, this new fire house is located just off highway two.

It has been a project for nearly seven years, the old fire house was too dated and too small.

Andy Holland, the Fire EMA Coordinator for Broken Bow, told NTV News that the new facility is twice as large as the last, eliminating issues they had with storing ambulances and fire trucks.

“So we had two separate buildings with trucks in it. This building here, we have everything in it. I mean we’ve had people from the public say, ‘I didn’t even know you guys had that,’ and it’s like, well it’s been in storage because we didn’t have anywhere to put it,” said Holland.

One of the newest tech specs, a tv with a map of Broken Bow that allows firefighters to see exactly where they are going ahead of time.

“It’s really helpful when it comes down to an emergency and you need to get somewhere really fast. You’re not having to sit there and think about where you’re going,” said Holland.

However, Fire Chief Jason Baum said that the one thing on the minds of many visitors coming to check out the space is money.

“We’ve been pretty fiscally responsible but the rule board it is pitching in for half and the city is paying for half and we didn’t’ bond the money to do the project. They’re using it out of their yearly funds,” said Baum.

Baum said that the project came in around 1.3 million dollars.

He said it has a brand–new kitchen and office spaces and they have added a generator to the building in case it is needed as a community shelter.

Jason Baum also said they built the new fire house with the opportunity to expand in the future, but as of right now, he said they are happy with the space they have.