This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

A Sneak Peak at the Eagan Fire Safety Center

The public is invited to a grand opening celebration on Thursday from 5 - 8 p.m.

Guided tours, firefighter training demonstrations, historical exhibits, youth activities and refreshments are just some of what is planned for Thursday's grand opening celebration.

Built at a cost of $8.1 million, Eagan's new Fire Safety Center is a shared-use facility that provides quicker fire response time, consolidates fire operations, provides much needed storage space for police and fire vehicles and incorporates long-term evidence storage for the Eagan Police Department. The center's square footage is more than 38,000.

Occupying a corner of the former Carriage Hills Golf Course, the Fire Safety Center is the first fire station in the nation to achieve Green Globes certification and features geothermal heating and cooling, natural lighting, and reclaimed wood from local trees.

Find out what's happening in Eaganwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Six volunteer firefighters live at the facility and perform general maintenance and other duties in exchange for lodging. Their presence means the department can get a fire truck on the way to a fire within minutes of a call coming in. 

The building is equipped with specialized elements that provide outstanding training opportunities for the city's volunteer firefighters including a tactical search room used to conduct training exercises. With movable walls and the ability to fill the room with smoke, police and fire can train for a variety of situations. 

Find out what's happening in Eaganwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A stairway also can be filled with smoke for additional drills and a third floor balcony and the roof provide ladder rescue exercises. 

For Fire Chief Mike Scott, the Fire Safety Center, which has been in use by the city since April 15, is the culmination of a 25 year process to relocate station 2. 

"People tell me how beautiful the building is on the outside," Scott said. "But the real wow factor is what can happen on the inside." 

Eagan Fire Safety Center Grand Opening Celebration:
1001 Station Trail
Thursday, June 23
5:00 - 8:oo  P.M. 
Grand Opening Presentation at 5:15 P.m.  

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?