TALMAGE – Nebraska Emergency Management and Otoe County commissioners gathered Tuesday to mark the installation of an electrical generator at the new Talmage fire station.

Along with the much-needed room and functionality of the new station, came a new concern.

Fire Chief Greg Conz said the station relies on electricity, even to open the doors, and he calls a power outage due to weather inevitable. He started the grant application process for the fire department’s first electrical generator and a replacement of the village’s outdoor siren.

Conz: “Actually I started doing a (grant application) for an outdoor siren because our siren here in Talmage died about 10 years ago. We’ve been keeping it together bits and pieces.”

 

Disaster mitigation funds became available in Nebraska with a presidential disaster declaration after straightline winds caused $30 million in damages to utilities in 14 counties in July of 2021.

A FEMA grant paid 90 percent of the $50,000 generator project, with Otoe County contributing keno funds and the rural fire board paying the rest.

Conz said expanding the uses of the new fire hall helped the governor’s commission prioritize the Talmage generator.

Conz: “We can also do a warming station, if we have a cold part, or if we have a hot area we can do a cooling station. It makes it so we can make it more compatible for the community and use it more than just as a station. We can use it to benefit the community as a whole.”

Conz expects to hear soon about the grant for the outdoor siren.