ELSANOR, Ala. — The Elsanor Volunteer Fire Department will celebrate the opening of its new fire station, at the corner of Brewer Road and County Road 87 Saturday, April 24 from 2 to 7 p.m.

“We want the community to come out and look around,” said Chief Allen Paul. “The station belongs to Elsanor.”

The “open house” will allow everyone to view the apparatus, and food and drink will be provided by the volunteers.

The EVFD has been operating out of the new station for a while now, says Paul.

“We had really outgrown the old station,” said Paul, referring to the company’s old headquarters on U.S. Highway 90. Because it’s near the Elsanor Elementary School, the EVFD had based some equipment at the old station

“This is really the center of our jurisdiction,” said Paul, “but we want to keep some apparatus near the school.”

The new facility, which was built for about $800,000 on a three-acre lot that was purchased for about $45,000 has offices, six drive-through bays for apparatus, a kitchen, and training room. Funds for the construction came out of county ad valorem taxes, Paul says.

Tax money does not cover all the department’s needs, so donations to the department are welcome.

The new station takes up around two acres, and Paul says that “someday,” the fire department would like to build a training facility on the remaining acre. The station is designed to withstand 140 mph winds, which the department’s Web site says, “This will hopefully ensure our ability to provide help and aid after a disaster that might occur in our community.”

“We have room to expand,” said Paul. “This is an area of the county that is growing, and we have to grow with the community.”

The EVFD has about 25 members, including a group of Explorer Scouts, young men and women who learn the rudiments of firefighting.

“We started the troop around six months ago,” said Paul. Troop members who are 14 to 16 do “inside work,” cleaning the station, cleaning trucks and attending lectures with the fire fighters. Young people 16-18 can go on calls once they have passed the bloodborne pathogens test and are certified in CPR. Explorers can not be out late on school nights, but do respond at all hours weekends.

“They are not on the first responding truck,” said Paul, who added that the help the Explorers give the firefighters is “invaluable.”