Lincoln Fire and Rescue

03/21/2026

Lincoln county commissioners enacted a county wide burn ban yesterday at the request of the fire chiefs due to extreme fire weather conditions. It will be re-evaluated the first of the week.

Please check and continue to monitor all controlled burns from the last few weeks.

02/27/2026

Lincoln Fire Department held their 9th annual awards banquet on Saturday, February 21. Scott Meier was recognized for 24 years with the fire department, as he retired last March. Dayton Walter was awarded Firefighter of the Year as a top responder. We appreciate his willingness to serve his community as a firefighter and show up to help in times of need.

The fire department also recognized the long-time commitment of
those currently serving. 30 years: Loren Peterson; 25 years: Greg Babcock; 20 years: Jeff Lyne; 15 years: Jarrod Heinze; 10 years: Jamie Meyer, Paydon Stertz, Stephen Weber, TJ Jonsson, and Colton Panzer; 5 years: Cole Zachgo, Austin Lebien, Riggs Walter, Austin Biggs, and Brian O’Toole.

The City of Lincoln and First Rural Fire Districts together responded to 39 calls last year, which included 5 structure fires. Thankfully there were none in the city limits in 2025. Other incidents included vehicle and combine fires, grass fires, wrecks, power lines down, false alarms, suspected gas leaks, and 21 rescue calls.

In all these situations, it is very clear how important it is to have a full roster of
volunteers who are available to show up and are trained to do what needs to be
done. Three new firefighters joined the department in the last year: Jason Lemieux, Brenton Glammeyer, and Ida Steinborn.

Thank you to the usd 299 shop class for the metal cut outs for years of service awards.

02/21/2026

The North Central Kansas Wildland Task Force deployed to Liberal, Kansas to assist with the wildfire outbreak and extreme fire weather conditions. They were assigned to the Andrew Lane fire of approximately 5,000 acres northeast of Liberal. The task force utilized a crew of six vehicles, including four brush trucks, a tanker, and a command vehicle, and 12 volunteers from Lincoln County, Mitchell County, and Ottawa County. They returned home safely February 20. Pictured L to R: Colton Panzer and Austin Lebien, Quinten Jones, Chris Fruits, Cory Kiser, Darin Gronewaller, Matthew File, Jarrod Heinze, Garry Clark, Fred Severance, Kaleb Jones, and Kris Jones.

02/16/2026

Good information! Go check on your brush piles that were burnt while there was snow on the ground to make sure they are completly out before the wind stirs them around.

🔥As the snow melts across Kansas, it won’t be long before vegetation dries out and becomes burnable. Now is the time to check old burn piles—stir them up and make sure they are completely cold. A windy day is all it takes for hidden embers to spark a wildfire.

02/16/2026

Now is the time to check brush piles that were burnt back when the snow was on the ground to make sure there is no hot spots still. Please try to avoid doing anything that will cause a spark the next 4 days. If you see smoke call 911.