The Bennington Fire Department has been serving the community since the early 1900’s. In 1903, the village of Bennington purchased their first pump and hose along with 50 buckets that were used for fighting fires. While there wasn’t an organized fire department at the time, the duties of firefighting were left to the people who lived in the community.
In April of 1913, a large fire swept through the Bennington business district destroying several buildings. Mutual Aid fire apparatus from Omaha was sent via train to assist with the efforts as the fire consumed the downtown area as well as homes and businesses that were located up to three blocks away from the original fire. This fire led to the formation of the first volunteer fire department for the village of Bennington in the summer of 1913. The Bennington Volunteer Fire Department moved into their first fire station located at Stark and Warehouse Streets in Bennington. The fire station housed the department’s hose cart, a pump, the village well and also served as the village jail. The department purchased its first motorized fire truck in 1947 and in 1962, the Bennington Rural Fire District was formed.
In 1968, the Bennington Volunteer Fire Department organized it’s first rescue unit as the department expanded its services to provide emergency medical care and transport services. Bennington was one of the first departments in the State of Nebraska to provide a paramedic service to the community.
Throughout the years, the department has been experiencing a rapid population growth in the district as the area has seen several new developments expanding from the city of Omaha. In 2020, the rural fire district was reorganized into a suburban fire district and the department’s first career fire chief was hired. An assistant chief was hired in the spring of 2021 along with the department’s first 9 career firefighters who started in the fall of 2021. The department continues to operate as a combination career and volunteer fire department with a career staff that serves 24 hours a day with the support from the department’s volunteer fire and EMS personnel.