New Fire Station No. 1 opens with a blast

By Amanda Rogers

Mansfield Record

The blare of bagpipes sounded to officially open Fire Station No. 1 on Friday morning.

Two Mansfield firefighters in tartan kilts kicked off the ceremony with bagpipes and drum to welcome approximately 100 people to the new $12 million station at 203 S. Walnut Creek Drive.

“This is more than bricks and steel,” said Mayor Michael Evans. “It’s a commitment to the future and protecting our community. This is the fire station that our firefighters deserve.”

The new station has 17,400 square feet and features eight private dorm rooms, a massive kitchen/living area, two captains’ offices/bedrooms, fitness facility, entry way for public access, baby box for infant surrenders and meeting rooms, plus two brass fire poles to make for a rapid descent from the bedrooms on the second floor of the station.

The city decided to move Fire Station No. 1 from 202 S. Main St. to the new location, a half-mile east, to allow for better response times as traffic got heavier on Main Street. The previous station, built in 1998, did not have modern firefighting updates to better protect the firefighters who live at the station, fire department officials said.

Mansfield Fire Chief Mike Ross pointed out that this is the fifth location for Fire Station No. 1 since the original opened in 1901 after a devastating fire in downtown Mansfield.

“As Mansfield grows, the Mansfield Fire Department is ready to grow with it,” Ross said. “Let the citizens that pass by know that the firefighters inside this station are ready and capable.”

Firefighters have already moved into the new quarters, and they will be there for a long time, Division Chief Kyle Wright said.

“This building will be occupied 24 hours a day for the next 30 years or more,” Wright said.

As if to prove their point, as Wright and Ross were speaking, a siren from a fire truck roared as Mansfield firefighters responded to a call.

A representative from State Rep. David Cook’s office presented a resolution to the fire department honoring the opening of the new station.

Afterward, city and fire officials posed for photos in front of the new station with rescue fire dog, Lieu, stealing the show. An open house with tours of Fire Station No. 1 followed.

Firefighters did bring at least two pieces of the past into the new station, a historic fire bell that is mounted in the entry way and their reputation as the Ghost Station, named for the spirits that were reported to haunt the previous station.