Officials rededicate Seguin’s Central Fire Station

Dalondo Moultrie

The Seguin Gazette

Of his 14 years with the Seguin Fire Department, Capt. Kevin Rhea has spent the last three or so years working out of Central Fire Station in downtown Seguin.

He’s seen the building maybe at its worst so when the city unveiled the massive makeover of the station recently, Rhea couldn’t contain his excitement.

“I’m super impressed,” he said Wednesday afternoon as community members and others took self-guided tours of the rededicated facility.

And Rhea wasn’t alone in his excitement. Seguin Fire Chief Dale Skinner also expressed his extreme excitement about completion of the remodel that began around last July and was completed to the tune of about $2.4 million.

TSG Architects designed the renovation project and crews from The Koehler Company completed the work, Skinner said.

“We did our best to make much-needed updates while preserving the history of the building,” he said. “I am confident that the newly-remodeled Central Fire Station will serve this community well into the next 50 years.”

Members of the public were invited to check out the upgrades Wednesday during a rededication ceremony for the station at 110 Elm St. Changes included total remodeling of the second-floor living quarters, including addition of a large, commercial-grade kitchen area at the 75-year-old fire station.

One of the most significant changes included adding six additional bathrooms to the solitary one previously at the station. More bathrooms will allow firefighters more privacy and faster means of cleaning themselves after they return from battling blazes, both Skinner and Rhea said.

“When firefighters come in from fighting a fire, they have all these cancer-causing contaminants on them,” Skinner said. “The last thing we want for them is to have to wait in line to take a shower. Now we have capability for six of them to shower at once.”

In recent years, cancer prevention has come to the forefront of the firefighting industry, Rhea said. Quickly cleansing the skin subsequent to extinguishing flames is an important healthcare measure, he said.

“Before, we had to take turns,” Rhea said. “Now, we’ve got the ability as soon as we get back, everybody’s taking care of themselves.”

New plumbing and electrical systems throughout the facility, a new climate-controlled bunker gear room, Americans with Disabilities Act accessible restrooms and chair lift, energy-efficient LED lighting, and upgraded paint are additional aspects of the remodel.

Construction began in 1947 on the fire station and the Seguin Fire Department moved into it in 1949, as it served as the third fire station the department operated, Skinner said.

Some features of the facility remained from its origination and proved outdated for the modern era, he said. But the project included retaining as much of the old building as was feasible, the chief said.

“Upstairs, there’s only one wall that’s an original wall,” Skinner said.

The floor plan upstairs is vastly different than before, Rhea said.

In the past, the second floor was an open area. The current utilization of space with walls sectioning off areas and creating rooms is impressive, he said.

“It seemed like (before) it was not a good use of space,” Rhea said. “There’s not a square foot of wasted space.”

The exterior of Central Fire Station looks much the same as it did before the reconstruction project. It still bears the name “Roger G. Mycue Central Fire Station Seguin, Texas” as before the renovations.

Now, though, there is a plaque affixed to an exterior wall next to the front entrance of the building. It lists the names of the city council members and others responsible for bringing the project to fruition. Among them is the current chief’s name.

The completed work provides a like-new station for the men and women who work there, City Manager Steve Parker said.

“I’m so glad we were able to give them a facility they could be proud of. I’m more proud that we could put the name Dale Skinner on this facility,” he said. “What a great project this turned out to be. I’m so glad I get to be a small part of it.”

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