Page 22 2026 Hometown HEROES Magazine LINCOLN DAILY NEWS June/July 2026 Earnest Jeckel Emden Fire Protection District When the siren goes off in Emden, whether it is 2 a.m. or 4 p.m., one person the Emden community has counted on for over six decades has been Earnest Jeckel. Earnest “Earnie” Jeckel has proudly served the Emden Fire Protection District for 61 years. He was Chief for 36 of those years. While he doesn’t go out on many calls anymore, he still serves during them, making sure someone is there to man the radios and ensure the firefighters have the necessary equipment. Jeckel joined the fire district in May of 1965. At the time, his uncle, Edward (Ed) Jeckel, was the fire chief. Earnest was inspired by his uncle, who was also the founder of Emden’s fire department in 1940 and remained on the squad until his passing. Not long after joining the fire district, Earnest remembers that before the current firehouse was built, the fire district was housed in the village hall. There was a fire call one evening, and several firefighters responded, but they couldn’t get the fire truck started. He recalls several firefighters pushing the firetruck down the main street before eventually getting it started and heading to the fire out in the country.
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