MAC unveils new fire station at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport

The Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) on Monday unveiled a new aircraft rescue and firefighting station at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

MAC said the new $42.3 million, 25,000-square-foot fire station is the first stage in consolidating public safety and operations into one facility. The next stage will be opening the Public Safety and Operations Center, for which construction began this summer. The Center will connect to the fire station.

Fire Station 2 is approximately 50% larger than the previous station it is replacing, which was built in 1965.

The new station is located at the north end of the airfield adjacent to the MSP air traffic control tower. Fire Station 1 is on the south end of the airfield.

MAC said that MSP firefighters respond to around 3,200 calls per year — including medical cases, structural and aircraft emergencies and hazardous material calls. As firefighters typically spend 121 nights per year at the airport, MAC said the new station includes individual bunk rooms, locker rooms, a larger kitchen and interactive meeting spaces.

The fire department as a whole covers MSP’s 3,400-acre campus and has mutual aid agreements with nearby communities in case of emergency.