If disaster strikes, Neosho Rapids should be ready.
Last week, a tornado siren was installed behind the firehouse, making it the town’s first in four years. Ray Lambert of Fire District No. 5, said fund raising for the siren began about four years ago shortly after the old siren broke. It took years of fund raising, private donations and community cooperation to make the purchase of a siren possible.
“This has been a long time coming,” said Jenny Wagers of the Neosho Rapids Special projects volunteer group.
The original price for the siren was $14,000. After several years of bake sales, concession stands at auctions, a car show, fish fry and even a baseball tournament, the town was still not close enough to its goal. Then came good news.
“In April, the Jones Fund said they would match whatever we had raised,” Wagers said.
The matching funds were the final piece needed to secure the siren. It was ordered last month and installed Aug. 30.
“We tested it Wednesday after they put it up and again that night,” Lambert said.
Lambert said the siren can be set off by Emporia dispatchers, storm watchers or by Fire District No. 5. The siren will be turned on for testing at the same time the Emporia sirens are tested — 10 a.m. on Wednesdays, from spring until fall.
Dana Lambert of the Neosho Rapids Community Projects volunteer group said the siren wouldn’t have been possible without the help of businesses, families, and other individuals who gave private donations. It was truly a community project.
“We are all just so excited now to have a siren,” Dana Lambert said. “The last time we had a storm they had to drive around town with the sirens going on the fire trucks. They won’t have to do that anymore.”
But the siren isn’t the only addition to Neosho Rapids. Over the last couple of years, the firehouse has continued to grow. In an addition that started almost two years ago, a new garage was added to house a pump truck. Since then, an office, conference room and bathroom have been added.
“It all started when we needed a bigger pump truck,” Ray Lambert said. “When we got one, it was too big to fit in the building, so that really speeded up the process.”
Lambert said no city money was used for the firehouse addition. Money was saved out of the fire district’s budget over the years to pay for the construction. Fire District No. 5 is comprised of about 29 volunteer firefighters and includes Neosho Rapids and Hartford.
“The improvements to the firehouse have been really nice,” Lambert said. “We used to have just a garage with a toilet in the corner. Now we actually have a space where we can meet.”
Renovations were done to the existing garage, and there’s still more work to do. They need to finish the driveway and the back parking area. They’re also still working on furnishing the office and conference room. Wolf Creek Nuclear Plant donated chairs, but tables are still needed.
“We’re just happy to have what we have,” Lambert said. “These projects are important to our community.”