A lot has changed for the Columbus Fire Department since its foundation in 1873.

Electricity became more common, building materials changed, gear has evolved to be safer for everyone involved. Through it all, Assistant Chief Nathan Jones said, the Columbus Fire Department has done its best for all those years.

"A lot has changed based on the fires we have now. There's a lot of new material, gear is better, how we approach fires has changed," Jones said. "Rescue, EMS (emergency medical services), 150 years ago those were not a thing. Even in the last 50 years, it's all changed."

On Aug. 20, the department had a celebration to mark the momentous anniversary as well as connect with the community a little via some sprinklers, hot dogs, chips and water courtesy of Bo's West and an open house at the station. Firefighter Dustin Nelson said that the celebration took some work to get going, but as the actual anniversary itself drew closer, they kicked things into a different gear to make sure it happened.

"We all agreed, equal-minded, 150 is a huge deal. There are only a few departments in Nebraska, let alone the U.S. that have 150 years," Nelson said. "You have your bigger departments like New York, but little old Columbus in the middle of Nebraska; 150 years is a big deal. We all agreed we need to celebrate the legacy behind Columbus as well as the fire department."

To help the community in a different way during the celebration, the Columbus Fire Department had a freewill donation option for canned goods and pet food to benefit the Columbus Rescue Mission and Erna R. Badsteiber Paws and Claws Adoption Center, respectively.

The turnout, Jones said, was good, considering the weather and the fact that there were several other community events going on around the same time. Support from not just the residents of Columbus, but from the city itself has been great over the years, Jones said, which is why they're able to do their jobs as well as they do.

"We've had great support from the city for quite a while. It helps a lot staying up to date with equipment and everything. The city's been gracious with keeping up-to-date on apparatus and gear, having the backing of the city and residents," Jones said.

Nelson said that in addition to support, the department holds itself to certain standards when it comes to education and training which ensure everyone is trained the same for any situation. Recent training with the Central Valley Ag grain bin rescue team, Nelson said, is a good example of the kind of training the department does for emergency situations.

"There's also camaraderie. The reserves are trained the same as career so if you want to work on a shift, weekend, they can cover and they're held to the same standards as career," Nelson said. "We're one team who all strive to make it as safe as possible with the best medical and fire safety."

Looking back on 150 years and even just the 14 years he's been on the department, Jones said a retrospective is helpful when you're trying to decide where you want the future to lead.

"It's always nice to see where we came from as a department and use it to mold where we're going in the future," he said.