Stop 26 – Could You Be a Firefighter?

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Could you be a firefighter? Here's how you'd join the Nebraska City Volunteer Fire Department.

First, you apply to the company you want to join. The company appoints a committee to look into your character and standing. If the company accepts you, your application goes to the next department meeting, and the department's president appoints a committee to oversee your six-month probation.

After probation, the required training, and a final exam, you're eligible for election. The members present at the meeting vote by secret ballot, and it only takes five black balls in the ballot box to turn you down.

That ballot box is right here. It was donated by the Nebraska City Elks Club in nineteen forty, and it's been used to vote on every member since. It's still in use today.