Omaha Fire & Rescue

09/24/2026

Teen Killed in White County Crash

A Ridgway teen died Wednesday afternoon in a head-on crash in southern White County. Dawson Stacey, 18 was in a pickup truck headed westbound on Illinois Route 141 when he crossed the center line and struck an eastbound semi hauling grain. Stacey was pronounced dead at the scene by White County Deputy Coroner Alan Wurst.
The crash was reported at 4:21 pm on Ill. 141 at County Road 6 near the New Haven intersection. Following impact, a large amount of diesel and hydraulic fluid spilled from the semi, along with grain. There was lane blockage until around 1 am Thursday as Illinois State Police investigated the crash and cleanup was completed.
Stacey was a 2026 graduate Gallatin County High School where he played varsity basketball. Friends tell the Press he was on his way home from work at a manufacturing plant in Mt. Vernon, IN when he lost his life.

09/11/2026

Today is an anniversary many of us in the fire service hold close to our hearts. Let us never forget the 343 Brothers we lost that day.

08/06/2026

You’re expected to prepare everyone for the worst day of their career while knowing that your work will often go unnoticed.
If training is easy, people question its value. If training is hard, people question your motives. If someone fails, you’re the bad guy.
If everyone succeeds, someone says, “That’s what they’re supposed to do.”
The training division lives in the space between administration and operations. You answer to one while trying to earn the trust of the other. It’s a place where you have to hold the standard, even when it’s unpopular.
But here’s what keeps us going:
Every firefighter who goes home after a close call…
Every officer who makes the right decision under pressure…
Every recruit who grows into a respected leader…
Those moments are built on the work that happened long before the tones ever dropped.
The training division may be lonely.
But it’s also where tomorrow’s fire service is built.
Keep pushing. Keep the standard. Keep the promise

Just letting everyone know that if you see a bunch of fire trucks and firefighters at 203 East Boyd St here in town on Saturday that we are hosting a multi-department training. Firefighters from Norris City, Carmi, Enfield, Crossville, McLeansboro, Omaha, Ridgway and New Haven will be learning new skills and sharing past experiences during an 8 hour hands on training session.
We are extremely grateful that the Norris City Church of God has allowed us to use a house they own behind the church for training. As I have said before we try to keep training as close to real world as we can and no better way than using an actual house. If you could please try to avoid the area. I will try to meet with the neighbors Today or Friday to address any of their concerns. Please share this post to anyone who lives in that area.

07/07/2026

UPDATE - THIS CLASS IS FULL! But contact Ricky to get on the list to be contacted when we offer more classes! 🔥

🚒 Attention firefighters!

Sharpen your skills with two FREE hands-on fire training courses at Southeastern Illinois College on Saturday, Aug. 15.

Choose one course or attend both!

🚗 Vehicle Extrication
🕢 7:30-11:30 a.m.

🔥 Vehicle Fire
🕧 12:30-4:30 p.m.

📍 Chuck Hearn Outdoor Education Complex

Register here:
https://sic.jotform.com/261725948342969

Questions? Contact Ricky Sauls at [email protected] or 618-252-5400, ext. 2248.

05/09/2026

Congratulations to:
Darrell French-Custom Modified Class-1989 International
Nicholas McDermott-Motorcycle Class- Ultra Glide Harley Davidson
Kevin Richardson-4x4 Class- 1990 Chevy Blazer
Sam Gregory-Original- Ford F-150

05/09/2026

Thank you everyone for coming! We had a wonderful turnout and the weather cooperated with us great today!

05/09/2026

05/09/2026

05/09/2026

Starting to fill up down here at the Omaha IL Fire Dept. Car Show & Fish Fry

05/07/2026

Thank you Omaha One Stop for donating the ice for this year's event! Your contribution is greatly appreciated!