Both the town of Prosper and the city of Celina are in the midst of building their fourth fire station this year.
Current situation
Officials broke ground on the Celina station in November, with the station expected to open in March 2027, Celina Fire Chief Shawn White said in an email. The $11.4 million fire station, funded by city bond dollars, will be about 15,725 square feet and will have three bays for fire trucks, a training tower and individual dorms.
The Celina station will house 18 firefighters while in operations, White said, with recruitment efforts beginning in May 2026.
Prosper’s fourth station is a 12,000-square-foot facility that will feature five fire engine bays and accommodations for its firefighters once it opens in late March or early April. The Prosper Fire Department plans to phase-in staffing, Fire Chief Stuart Blasingame said.
The $13.8 million station, funded by the town’s 2020 bond program, will open with nine staff members while the department plans to add three additional positions in the upcoming year, he said.
Staying prepared
One of the biggest benefits of a new fire station is reducing response times, Blasingame said. The east side of Prosper is currently seeing the slowest response times from the department when responding to accidents and other scenes.
Reducing fire department and emergency medical services response times means crews will be able to reach emergencies more quickly and provide more effective services in the area, White said.
“This is going to cut [response times] in half, if not more, depending on where the call location is,” Blasingame said. “It’s going to substantially reduce our response times out there.”
Public safety is a priority for both the town and city when it comes to planning. Celina Mayor Ryan Tubbs said the city is focused on planning ahead by investing in public safety, which keeps police, fire and EMS prepared as the city grows.
In Prosper, Blasingame said the locations of new stations are paramount to maintaining the department’s high level of service.
“It’s a long-term investment into the safety of our residents,” he said.
Looking ahead
In 2028, the Prosper Fire Department plans to add ambulance services to Fire Station No. 4, which would bring in six more personnel members, Blasingame said. The station is the second-to-last planned for Prosper. Blasingame said the fifth and final station is expected to open on the northwest side of the town and is anticipated to be built in about five years depending on the town’s growth rate.
“As [the town] develops, we want to be ready to keep our response times low for our Prosper residents,” Blasingame said.
Celina’s fourth station is the next of 14 total stations the city’s fire department expects to operate in the future.
“As Celina continues to grow, it’s important that our public safety infrastructure grows with it,” Tubbs said.
