Oketo KS Fire Department

10/02/2026

This past year has been good to us in the form of grants!

First we receive a grant from Famers Cooperative, to purchase rope rescue equipment. This equipment will be used in conjunction with our grain rescue tube if we ever have to respond to a grain engulfment incident.

We were also awarded a grant from Frontier Farm Credit. This money was used to purchase a trailer to carry our grain rescue and rope rescue equipment. As well as other agricultural rescue equipment we hope to purchase in the future.

We’d like to send a big thank you to both of these organizations for these grants! As well as Blue Valley Trailers for their help in the purchase of the trailer!

Frontier Farm Credit
Farmers Cooperative
Blue Valley Trailers, Inc

10/01/2026

If you are out and about the next couple days please be careful. There are numerous places across our fire district and county that have either been washed out or are still flooded!

10/01/2026

Manhattan Fire Department deployed two swift water technicians with Squad 1 as part of the Northeast Kansas Task Force, supporting flood standby operations.

They were joined by task force members from Topeka and Junction City.

Moderate flooding is expected along the Big Blue River in parts of north central and northeast Kansas over the next few days. We are grateful for our firefighters and regional partners for their readiness and commitment to keeping communities safe.

Junction City KS Fire Department , Topeka Fire Department , Kansas Division of Emergency Management , and Kansas Fire Marshal

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Photo of Manhattan Fire Department Water Rescue vehicle and boat trailer

09/30/2026

10/2/2026 11:45am Update:

Our county Public Works crews are out checking county roads and reporting back what they are finding. As we get updates from Public Works, we will continue to share that information!

Okay, here is the list of known closures in the county currently! After some feedback, we decided a running total would make more sense rather than making folks scroll back and back and back.

The following locations are: “CLOSED”

-14th Rd from Zenith south to Parallel (Bigham Rd/ Fish & Game Rd or south of Williams’ Switch).

OPEN WITH CAUTION:
-Utah Rd from 20th Rd east to 20th Terr (Skillin Bridge area, 20th Terr is the new Co-Op connector road).

-Tumbleweed Rd from 20th Road east to the middle driveway to Farmers Cooperative Grain Facility.

--19th Terrace (aka Barrett Road)

-8th Rd 4/10 mile S of Harvest, road washed at concrete box culvert.

-Highway 9 and Highway 87 near Vliets

-19th Terr from Pheasant south to Tumbleweed (Musil Rd).

We will continue to update on this post as needed to try and keep things easy to manage for us all!

Be Prepared, Stay Safe!

09/30/2026

Travel alert!!!

09/30/2026

36 Highway is now OPEN! But the friendly reminder stays!!!!

Also, friendly reminder..... If your windshield wipers are on, please please please turn on your headlights!

09/28/2026