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Reinbeck Fire and Rescue honors 9/11, hosts first post-pandemic fundraiser

A sign on display during Reinbeck Fire and Rescue’s Omelet Breakfast Fundraiser held on Sunday, Sept. 11, in the Reinbeck Memorial Building and destined for placement on a 2-acre city parcel located on the northeast side of town. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER
Reinbeck Fire and Rescue members prepare omelets made-to-order this morning for members of the public in Reinbeck. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER
Reinbeck Fire and Rescue member Jeff Charley (left) prepares an omelet for a member of the public on Sunday, Sept. 11, in Reinbeck Memorial Building. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER
Reinbeck Fire and Rescue member Chris Jans (left) dishes up breakfast potatoes to a member of the public on Sunday, Sept. 11, in Reinbeck Memorial Building. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER
‘Grandpa Jensen’ (left) along with Kim Yockey and her children (l-r) Mila, 2, Eden, 4, and Theo, 6, enjoy an omelet breakfast while dad, RFD member Chris Yockey (not pictured) works in the kitchen. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER
Reinbeck Fire and Rescue members prepare omelets for waiting members of the public during the department’s Omelet Breakfast Fundraiser held this past Sunday in the Reinbeck Memorial Building. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER
PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER
Reinbeck Fire and Rescue Chief Chris Heasley smiles alongside his daughter in Reinbeck Memorial Building during the department’s Omelet Breakfast Fundraiser on Sunday, Sept. 11. PHOTO BY RUBY F MCALLISTER
Reinbeck Fire and Rescue members Malinda Van Hauen (left) and Bridget Aneweer (right) greet members of the public just inside the doors of Reinbeck Memorial Building during the department’s fall fundraiser held this past Sunday, Sept. 11. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER
A piece of artwork made by a kindergarten student at Gladbrook-Reinbeck Elementary hangs in the hallway outside the Reinbeck Fire and Rescue Omelet Breakfast Fundraiser on Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER
A sticker in remembrance of 9/11 visible on the front of a Reinbeck Fire and Rescue truck this morning, Sept. 11, 2022. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

Members of the Reinbeck Fire and Rescue were up early this past Sunday, September 11, prepping fresh ingredients and readying the Reinbeck Memorial Building for their first post-pandemic Omelet Breakfast Fundraiser.

It has been 21 years since 9/11 when nearly 350 New York City firefighters lost their lives in the terrorist attacks on our nation. Sunday’s fundraiser was thus particularly poignant for RFD members including Chief Chris Heasley who was just a senior at G-R High School that horrible day.

Heasley, standing in the Memorial Building kitchen just after 8:00 a.m. as members of his department worked diligently in the room beyond eventually making almost 400 omelets for generous members of the public, said he joined Reinbeck Fire in July of 2002 following graduation because he wanted to give back to the town that had done so much for him with 9/11 acting as an important backdrop to his decision.

Today, RFD is still in the very early stages of fundraising for what Heasley hopes will be a new fire station built on two acres of city-owned property on the northeast side of town. The department is currently working on an informational brochure set to release in November addressing the need for a new station.

The current fire station – too small for modern trucks – is landlocked next to the Memorial Building.

“We’re full,” Heasley said simply when asked about the station. “In the wintertime, we have to move trucks out in order to train. There’s nowhere to put anything now.”

‘Coming soon’ signs will be popping up shortly on the future site of the hoped-for station – signs that were on display during the fundraiser.

Also on display nearby, a quote attributed to Rev. Billy Graham printed on a placard in honor of the day: “Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spine of others are often stiffened.”