Elko New Market honored Jim Marsh, who helped found the city’s volunteer fire department and was one of its assistant fire chiefs, as Marsh was named grand marshal of Fire Rescue Days’ Community Parade, Saturday, June 28.
“That was one heck of a surprise,” said Marsh, who now lives with his wife in Savage. “I never expected that in any way, shape or form.”
Marsh and his family moved to New Market in the 1970s, long before it combined with Elko to form one community. He joined the NEW (New Market Elko Webster) Lions Club. He noted in 1976, as Lions Club president, he talked to the Lions about starting a fire department.
Having a fire department was something he felt strongly about through personal experience. A house he was going to move into burned in a fire and his sister lost her home in a fire.
“The nearest fire department was New Prague and that was about 13 miles away,” Marsh said. “I decided we (New Market) needed a fire department.”
He found the Lions Club backed the idea 100% and helped to get the department going, which was around the late 1970s.
Getting people to join, Marsh said that was a big concern, but eventually they had 10 to 15 volunteers.
Some people were not onboard with the idea, said Marsh. “It was a prime discussion around town,” he said, adding some were concerned a fire department would raise their taxes. He and others pointed out if a town had a fire department it would lower homeowners insurance costs.
When the fire department started, it charged...
To see more on this story pick up the July 10, 2025 print edition of The New Prague Times.
ENM honors Marsh as grand marshal of Community Parade
