Members and leadership of the Emporia Fire Department, construction management and more gathered outside of the new Emporia Fire Department headquarters to celebrate a major milestone Wednesday afternoon.
The contingent stood across the street to watch as the final support beam was put in place as part of a “topping out ceremony,” a construction tradition that dates back over 1,000 years in some cultures. The ceremony signifies the completion of the structural framework, the work and dedication of those handling the project and maybe most importantly of all, in the opinion of Crossland Construction Vice President DJ McClenny, safety.
Before raising the beam into place, members of the Emporia Fire Department, city leadership and construction crew members affixed their signatures to the beam along with a set of decals for the city and EFD. Emporia Fire Chief Brandon Beck called the moment and the entire headquarters construction project a rare experience for the entire department.
The project has been underway since November, however, conversations on the new facility began back in 2016. Beck says to see the progress of the project, noting it feels as though it has moved quite rapidly, has been very exciting and uplifting for him and others.
McClenny says with the topping out ceremony now complete, the project is right around the halfway mark and on pace to see completion by early 2026.
The new headquarters will go a long way in solving the department’s space issue, which has been a long-standing concern for years. Inside the facility, there will be five apparatus bays with over 8,000 square feet of space just for equipment. There are also significant upgrades for personnel, including a three-zone setup for cleanup and decontamination, a dedicated training space, 10 private bunk spaces, dedicated lockers and new administrative space, among other features.
Thus far, there has been no word on future plans for the current EFD space inside White Auditorium.
