For the second straight year, Black Hills Energy employees in Nebraska have celebrated National Fire Safety and Prevention Month by honoring and thanking community volunteer fire departments across the state.

The Nebraska Ambassadors are a group of employees who represent Black Hills Energy in community engagement, community service and corporate citizenship. There is a team of ambassadors in each state where Black Hills Energy operates.

To show their appreciation for all that firefighters in their state do, the Nebraska Ambassadors delivered thank you notes and cases of water to 40 volunteer fire departments in the state. In addition, ambassadors in each of Nebraska’s four service regions were asked to nominate a local fire department to receive a $1,000 donation, half of which would be for a project of the department’s choosing and half of which would go to purchase carbon monoxide and smoke detectors for local residents.

This year, volunteer fire departments from Arlington, Utica, Lamar and Hemingford were selected to receive donations. Like many other deserving agencies, these departments respond to medical emergencies, motor vehicle accidents, rescue calls and incidents involving hazardous materials.

Recently many of the 300 Nebraska communities served by Nebraska Gas have seen an increase in underground construction due to upgrades to broadband services. During these projects Nebraska Gas relies on volunteer firefighters to “stand by” in case of events such as line hits, helping to protect public, personal and property safety.

In addition to the work they do within city limits, volunteer fire departments help protect the vast rural areas that surround them. During recent wildfires they provided mutual aid to other agencies, sometimes for days at a time.

Wendi, an ambassador in Papillion, Nebraska, said that for all the Arlington and other departments do, “this is just one way we can say thank you.”

We partner with our communities and customers, providing the kind of energy that fuels those areas and the lives of those we serve. Feel free to share the stories and photos. Make sure to tag us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.