A project nearly three years in the making, the Magnolia Volunteer Fire Department’s (MVFD) brand-new headquarters and fire station will hold its grand opening on Sept. 18.

The 29,000-square foot building, located on Buddy Riley Boulevard, is a combination facility of a central fire station, department administration headquarters, central training facility and maintenance and storage facility.

The new headquarters will support five other fire stations within the Department.

Plans for the facility have been in the works for almost three years, after officials learned that the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) would be widening FM 1774.

The expansion would put the roadway only two feet from the front of the old fire station headquarters, located at the corner of Gayle Street and FM 1774, making it virtually impossible for fire trucks to pull out safely onto the highway.

Among the features of the new facility are a central training center, a maintenance facility for repairs, a central storage area, storage for self-contained breathing apparatus systems and a weight training facility exercise room.

It also has - in the event of an emergency or failure of the radio system - backup radio system capability for dispatch.

The department’s 100-foot ladder truck, which couldn’t fit in the current facility, will now be able to be kept at the new location.

The entire project, including the cost of the land, was around $5 million and was financed through existing revenue and without a tax increase, MVFD Chief Gary Vincent previously said.

 “I think it’s a tremendous value for the community; what we spent for what we got,” he said.

The grand opening is free and open to the public from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 18 at the Downtown Fire Station 181 located at 18215 Buddy Riley Blvd.

For more information, call 281-356-3288 or visit www.magnoliafire.org.

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