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Fire Station 7 officially opens in College
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Fire Station 7 Officially Opens in College Station
By Dylan Chryst Watkiss
Published: Sep. 11, 2026 at 7:50 PM CDT
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COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) - College Station Fire has opened a new fire station, and its opening
date was no coincidence.
The city held a ribbon-cutting ceremony September 11 for Fire Station No. 7, officially opening the
facility’s doors to the public for the first time.
10/7/26, 11:15 AM Fire Station 7 officially opens in College Station
https://www.kbtx.com/2026/09/12/fire-station-7-officially-opens-college-station/1/10
The city held a ribbon-cutting ceremony September 11, 2026 for Fire Station No. 7, officially opening the facility's
doors to the public for the first time.(Gray Media)
“In our mind there was no better way to honor the lives that were lost [on 9/11], the firefighters that
were lost that day, than to open a fire station in remembrance of them,” Fire Chief Richard Mann
said.
Mann says the department wanted to honor the nearly 3,000 people killed 25 years ago, including
the 343 firefighters who sacrificed everything trying to save others.
Built for a Growing Community
The new station spans more than 18,200 square feet and houses 24 firefighters, built to serve a
growing part of College Station.
10/7/26, 11:15 AM Fire Station 7 officially opens in College Station
https://www.kbtx.com/2026/09/12/fire-station-7-officially-opens-college-station/2/10
The bedroom pods allow certain rooms to be alerted to a call rather than the whole station to prioritize better
sleep for firefighters.(Gray Media)
Rather than starting from scratch, the city modeled Station 7 after an existing design.
“We looked at fire stations that already existed in our region,” Mann said. “We found this design was
being used that had been built three times previously and had great success by the crews that
operated out of it.”
That design includes a training prop that lets crews practice confined-space rescues on site.
“We have a manhole cover prop on the other side,” said firefighter Mason Warren, who will be based
at Station 7. “You come in from the second story and you can drop down... and do confined space
rescues there.”
10/7/26, 11:15 AM Fire Station 7 officially opens in College Station
https://www.kbtx.com/2026/09/12/fire-station-7-officially-opens-college-station/3/10
That design includes a training prop that lets crews practice confined-space rescues on site.(Gray Media)
Warren, who has spent four and a half years with College Station Fire, says he’s never seen a station
like this one.
“I really can’t put it into words because I’ve never personally seen this beautiful of a station before,”
Warren said. “It’s just a huge blessing.”
Under Budget, Ahead of Schedule
The $18 million project, approved by voters in the 2022 bond election, came in under budget, and
the new fire engine arrived a year ahead of schedule.
“The firefighters themselves did a lot to make sure we had a great facility, but made every penny
count,” City Manager Bryan Woods said.
Mann says fire engines typically take about four years to arrive after they’re ordered. To meet Friday’s
opening, the city ordered the engine as soon as the bond election passed, before the station was
even designed.
10/7/26, 11:15 AM Fire Station 7 officially opens in College Station
https://www.kbtx.com/2026/09/12/fire-station-7-officially-opens-college-station/4/10
Chief Mann said the fire truck was the first thing they ordered after the 2022 bond election that funded this new
station. Fire trucks usually take 4 years to be complete but this one was done in just 3.(Gray Media)
More Than a Station for Firefighters
The building also includes a community room open to the public.
“This is your fire station,” Woods said. “There’s a community room you can utilize if you’re ever in a
situation where you’re hot or cold or you just need something.”
10/7/26, 11:15 AM Fire Station 7 officially opens in College Station
https://www.kbtx.com/2026/09/12/fire-station-7-officially-opens-college-station/5/10
"This is your fire station," said College Station City Manager Bryan Woods.(Gray Media)
Mann says the station’s benefits reach beyond its walls.
“This station is not going to have just impact on this part of town,” Mann said. “It will have ripple
effects throughout the entire city of College Station.”
The station’s four drive-thru bays allow crews to run apparatus from both sides, giving it the capacity
for up to eight vehicles as the area grows.
10/7/26, 11:15 AM Fire Station 7 officially opens in College Station
https://www.kbtx.com/2026/09/12/fire-station-7-officially-opens-college-station/6/10
Copyright 2026 KBTX . All rights reserved.
Chief Mann says these doors are more durable and open faster than the common roll-up doors on other stations.
(Gray Media)
As state-of-the-art as the new station is, Mann says what matters most is who’s inside it.
“The most important thing that’s in this station is going to be the people that are in here,” Mann
said. “Without them being here, dedicated, their professionalism, their commitment, this station
would be just a building.”
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10/7/26, 11:15 AM Fire Station 7 officially opens in College Station
https://www.kbtx.com/2026/09/12/fire-station-7-officially-opens-college-station/7/10