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McKinney Fire Department's administration staff are now operating in a new 40,000-square-foot building to start 2026.
While a grand opening celebration for the fire department’s new campus is expected later this year, officials have already moved in, Fire Chief Paul Dow said. The 10-acre, three-building campus was funded by a voter-approved bond proposition.
The full story
Administration officials moved into the department’s new headquarters at the end of January, Dow said. The headquarters is located centrally within the $53 million campus and will house the department’s assistant chiefs, battalion chiefs, its Emergency Medical Service division and the Fire Marshal’s Office.
The campus also includes a logistics building to store department equipment as well as a new building for Fire Station No. 2, replacing the nearly 30-year-old building on West University Drive. The old station had one drive-thru bay and couldn’t accommodate the six firefighters that were typically stationed there, Dow said.
“We literally had bunk beds in the rooms because we could not accommodate the number of firefighters,” he said.
MFD operates 10 fire stations covering 10 districts across the city, said Sean Stephens, assistant chief of support services. More fire stations are planned in districts 2, 5 and 9, according to the city’s website.
Funding for the campus comes from a $75 million bond proposition passed in 2019. Funds from that proposition are also reserved for a new Fire Station No. 11 and Fire Station No. 8. City Manager Paul Grimes said the new campus represents a “long-term investment” in McKinney’s safety.
“As McKinney continues to grow, we have a responsibility to make sure our Fire Department has the space and infrastructure needed to support emergency response across the city,” Grimes said in an emailed statement. “This facility strengthens coordination and allows our team to operate more efficiently while preparing for future demands.”
Department officials plan to hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony May 8 for the campus.
About the department
The new headquarters houses 42 employees that were previously located in the McKinney Public Safety Building. The new space is designed to accommodate the department now and in the future, Dow said.
Staffing at the department has increased more than 60% since 2009. The department was funded for 270 full-time positions in fiscal year 2024-25.
A closer look
Department officials are not anticipating adjustments to Fire Station No. 2’s coverage area because of the move, Dow said.
Fire Station No. 2 is the department’s busiest station, he said. In 2025, the station’s EMS vehicle and fire engine responded to more than 2,700 calls. For comparison, in District 10, both vehicles at Fire Station No. 10 responded to about 700 calls.
One more thing
With fire administration moving to the new campus, McKinney police are expected to expand operations within the existing McKinney Public Safety Building. A separate $70 million bond proposition passed in 2024 will fund any renovations to the existing building, according to the city’s website.
The new fire campus is opening at a time when the department is focused on “pushing the standard of care forward,” Grimes said. The department aims to make McKinney a “four-minute city” by partnering with the police department and residents to place automated external defibrillators within four minutes of any cardiac emergency.
“The idea is to have a force multiplier out there, and we’ve been working on this for a couple of years,” Dow said.
Residents can learn more about the “four-minute city” initiative by visiting www.mckinneytexas.org/821/Neighborhood-Heroes.
