More than six years and $14 million of works are complete at the Queensland Fire and Emergency Headquarters in the heritage city of Maryborough, but this is a building like no other.
The station is the first in Australia to be made of mass-engineered timber, and the irony is not lost on QFES Deputy Commissioner Mike Wassing.
"Normally, we're fighting fires associated with timber," he said.
"The fact that now our fire station is actually made of timber — there's a lot of detail and research that has gone into that."
The new design restored the 1951 heritage-valued brick bones of the original station, with the remainder of the building constructed from locally sourced wood.
Mass-engineered timber uses state-of-the-art technology to glue, nail or dowel wood products together in layers to make structural panels, posts and beams.
It is a nod to Maryborough's long-running history as a timber town.
"People laughed at me, and of course, coming from Maryborough, people always laugh at you," Member for Maryborough Bruce Saunders said.
"It all started after a meeting with Hyne [Timber], and then I started pitching to Brisbane that I wanted to build a timber fire station.
"We started this project back in 2016. Everyone said it would never get off the ground, but we persevered."
Three generations of Maryborough firefighters
Brian, Greg, and Brody Walters are three generations of firefighters to work out of the Maryborough base.
Brian Walters, now in his 90s, recalled moving his family from Gympie decades earlier when he became the chief officer in Maryborough.
"It brings back old memories," he said.
"There's only one person missing [today], and that's Dad. He worked for the fire service in Gympie, and that's where I started.
"We were the first ones to get the jaws of life and a road rescue here. Maryborough was also the first to get two-way radio outside of Brisbane."
Brian's son, Greg Walters, arrived at the station when he was eight years old and said this had been the most dramatic change the building had undergone over the years.
"It's incredible the way the builders have been able to transfer the site from what it used to be until now," he said.
The youngest of the family, Brody Walters, said it felt like a full circle moment to be doing his four years of basic training at the new station.
"It's pretty amazing to come from recruits in Brisbane to a brand-new station. You can see with the range of trucks that we've got here that it's just nonstop learning," he said.
"I feel quite privileged and quite special to be here today.
"Growing up, with my father and grandfather both being firies, it was something to look up to."
Upgrades needed after disastrous year
It had been a long year for the region that has felt the impacts of three major floods since January.
Mr Wassing said the facility was welcomed off the back of these disasters.
"We're looking down the barrel of another really wet season," he said.
"We've now got this state-of-the-art facility with amazing people, staff and volunteers from all of our emergency services who are all well practiced, somewhat unfortunately well practiced,
"But well-practiced, and they'll be ready for our severe weather season ahead of us.
