May 23 -25 YVFD Members attend 71st Annual Nebraska Fire School. Seven members of the YVFD attended this year's Fire School at Fonner Park in Grand Island, NE. Approximately 1600 firefighters from across the state gathered to receive hands-on and strategic training on the suppression and prevention of fires.

Wendall Pascarelli, Jeff Hagemann, Kevin Marking, Greg Blake, Marcy Woodward, Kirsten Kennedy and Justin Drews attended this year's Fire School. They received training from Thermal Imaging, Agricultural Extrication and Nebraska Fire Happenings (a year in review of actual fire/ems episodes that occurred across the state this past year.)

MAY 26, 08. YVFD Assists... Pickup Found Submerged in River (KETV.com). At approximately 2am YVFD Dive team responds to assist in the location of a pickup found in the river. Read the KETV.COM STORY.

Apr. 1, 2008        YVFD 2008 Junior Fire Patrol class graduates. YVFD's annual Junior Fire Patrol class for fifth grade students wrapped up this past Tuesday evening. Pictured is Courtney Fisher in her attempt to put out the blazing fire. She later earned the honors of Junior Fire Patrol Captain. Read More..

Feb. 1, 2008          YVFD has been approved for a $111,000 grant from FEMA for 800 MHZ radios!    These radios will allow YVFD to better communicate with neighboring agencies in the event of an emergency requiring multiple department response.

Got Propane?

On April 13th and 20th of 2007 the YVFD conducted Propane Emergencies training with the aid of the State Fire Marshal Training Division and Frontier COOP.  This included classroom training on the 13th, and hands-on live firefighting on the 20th.  The hands-on portion took place at the high school parking lot.

Some will remember that on December 5th, 1968, five workers were killed just north of Yutan when a leaking propane pipeline exploded.  More will remember in 1986 when the United Church of Christ exploded in Yutan.  Both of these events are sober reminders of the power of flammable gases.

Natural gas has replaced much of the propane heating systems in the City of Yutan, however, most farms and many irrigation motors still run on propane.  We also have a propane pipeline running the entire length of our district from South to North.  This pipeline has been the source of multiple incidents over the years, including a leak incident occurring a few months prior to the explosion, and another leak incident 13 years after the explosion.

The railroads carry hundreds of thousands of pounds of propane through Yutan on a daily basis.

Propane is also very popular as a fuel for barbeque grills, portable heaters and other devices.

So, don't let propane blow your mind!  Just know the facts about the power of propane and its characteristics!

New Breathing Apparatus are Here!

The Yutan Volunteer Fire Department received 16 state-of-the-art self-contained-breathing apparatus (SCBA) in March, 2006.  The SCBA are around 15 pounds lighter than the old units for each firefighter .  They also have a smaller profile.  Both of these will add up to better maneuverability in tough situations.  A lighter SCBA also reduces firefighter stress, a leading cause of firefighter injury and death on the fireground.

But that's not all.  These SCBA also have a built-in firefighter accountability system.  While wearing one of the new SCBA, each firefighter will be able to be monitored from outside of the danger zone via a wireless base unit.  The unit tracks a firefighter's time in the SCBA, as well as air pressure remaining in the system.  It also can warn firefighters to evacuate the danger zone, and can receive a signal from a firefighter in distress.

The new SCBA operate on 4,500 psi of air pressure stored in the cylinder on the firefighter's back.  This is an increase of approximately 2300 psi over the older SCBA, which required the purchase of a new compressor system to refill the air cylinders.

Most of this equipment was purchased with a grant from the Department of Homeland Security for $74,000.  However, approximately $3,800 came from the Yutan Rural Fire District revenues.  The Yutan Volunteer Fire Department also used part of its endowment fund ($18,000) to improve the quality and size of the new equipment.

Grant Awarded to Yutan Rural Fire District

The Yutan Rural Fire District was recently notified that a grant for new self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) was awarded by the Department of Homeland Security.  The grant total is $74,062.

The old SCBA used by the department are extremely heavy and cumbersome, adding to the load of turnout gear and tools already carried by firefighters.  The new SCBA will be approximately 17 lbs. lighter than the old.  This is a very significant reduction in the slung equipment weight as required when conducting interior searches, working from ladders, ventilating, making a fire attack, or salvage and overhaul.

The old SCBA even hindered firefighters from being able to rescue themselves.  They also caused the aggravation of debilitating shoulder problems.

The grant will be used to replace all SCBA units, and to provide for refilling equipment for the new higher-pressure units.

Paramedic Service in Yutan

In late 2004, Yutan Fire and Rescue began offering paramedic service to the community.