Firefighter museum moving next to archway: The Nebraska Firefighters Museum is leasing land and relocating to Archway Parkway, where it will build a new facility east of Kearney near the Great Platte River Road Archway.

A few years ago, the Nebraska Firefighters Foundation purchased a plot of land along the Platte River south of Kearney. This piece of land had two existing buildings that would need to be renovated and redesigned to house the Nebraska Firefighters Museum & Education Center. Demolition and reconstruction began on the interior of these buildings, but there was much to accomplish to make this location a primary destination point for Interstate travelers.

The mission of the Nebraska Firefighters Foundation is to:
Preserve Nebraska’s firefighting heritage,
Foster public understanding of the impact and benefit to firefighting in regard to saving lives and possessions,
Educate individuals about fire prevention and fire safety, and
Memorialize Nebraska firefighters.

In order to fulfill our mission and in preparation for the 2009 Grand Opening of the Nebraska Firefighters Museum & Education Center, the Nebraska Firefighters Foundation is now requesting donations of historical material from individuals and Nebraska fire departments!

Nebraska firefighters have a long and rich history of serving and protecting our local communities. From the days of horse-drawn steamers and gunny sacks soaked with water to the high-tech motorized equipment of today, our Nebraska firefighters have been there. They have been there with fire prevention activities. And when the fires struck, they have been there consistently saving lives and property. Many are uncompensated. They do it out of love and dedication to their communities. They have been and will continue to be our “unsung heroes.”