THE LEGACY AND FUTURE OF PUBLIC SAFETY IN CELINA

Any city plowing through the growth and development currently being experienced in Celina would, for certain, endure the pains that come with adjusting to such expansion. Residents feel the challenges of street construction or other public works concerns, the development of parks and green spaces, maintaining enough classrooms for school kids, providing programming and events to maintain the dearly held culture of the community, or wrestling with bond packages that accompany each need facing the city.

Inevitably, the growing pains ebb and flow. On some days they are painfully noticeable, and on other days they are lost in the excitement of new opportunities flooding into town. In Celina, the most central and necessary component of growth has carefully and intentionally avoided being stretched to or beyond capacity.

Thanks to generations of City leaders who plotted and planned for a season such as this, the public safety departments in Celina have stayed ahead of the growth, and they continue to do so with thoughtful planning and hiring and expansion, so that Celina residents maintain the high level of comfort and security under which they have always lived.

Celina Fire Chief Mark Metdker and Celina Police Chief John Cullison each lead large and growing departments. They are responsible for training those under their command and making sure that they have the appropriate number of personnel, the right amount of equipment to support them, and the insight to recognize when they should return to a planning table to reevaluate.

Separately and together, they work diligently to oversee these departments that, in 2023, both experienced record growth. They meet around board tables, evaluate on the scenes of incidents, and meet again to reevaluate. Constantly and consistently, they work within their teams and with each other to acknowledge their strengths and successes and to illuminate areas where they can grow better.

“A critical key to successful and wise growth in the area of public safety is centered around collaboration,” said Chief Cullison. “Our Police and Fire Departments work together on the scenes of so many incidents that our successes are inextricably linked to one another. In this critical time in Celina’s story, we must maintain the confidence in every area of public safety, and so we work together so that every resident can maintain their historical confidence in their safety and security.”

It’s that level of safety and security that Chief Metdker says drives his every effort and every level of coordination among departments, “When I arrived in Celina, the growth and expansion happening around us today was vaguely talked about, because it seemed like an era so far away that people usually disregarded the chatter. I can honestly say that I never disregarded it. We had this beautiful, small community where families and businesses felt safe and where public safety officials were honored and appreciated. I spent countless hours planning and thinking through ways we could guard and maintain that when the predicted growth finally hit. And one of the most critical components in that plan was for the Police and Fire Departments to work collectively and relentlessly to make sure that we always stayed ahead of what was coming so that we never found ourselves or our residents feeling like we had to catch-up with public safety concerns.”

Residents today would struggle to relate to a Celina when there was no paid Police or Fire Department. Some might suggest it could have been like the wild west, and some stories concur. For decades, Celina was protected in law enforcement by deputies or constables, and they were often far from a scene when a call went out for their services.

Volunteer firefighters protected the town and its nearby prairies from property damage and loss of life. Police would be dispatched by unsophisticated radio systems. Firefighters would rush into the main station at the sound of a fire whistle that reverberated around the community. Even then, they worked together for a common cause.

At train heists, burning buildings, automobile accidents along Highway 289, or at the scene of a crime, Celina residents and leaders always had confidence that their care and safety was at the top of the City’s list of priorities.

Over the decades, law enforcement officials locked up criminals and firefighters rescued those in harm’s way. On the Downtown Square, robbers were snatched. And when the Ritz Theater burned in a fire in 1946, the rest of the Square was saved. Time and again, the heroic work of public safety officials paid off for the people and for the city. Their selfless service gave great comfort to their city, and it still does that today.

Both departments today are recognized around the state as some of the finest. Their ranks are respected among their colleagues, and their facilities are the envy of departments all over the map. It could be said that they carry for this generation of Celina residents the mantle of public safety that has been a beacon of light in this hometown since the earliest days.

Now, more critical than ever, City leaders continue to prioritize public safety, committed to never relenting on this utmost important element of community life. When City Hall and the City Council sit down on a regular occasion to trod through the cities priorities as a part of Celina’s Strategic Plan, this subject always highlights the discussion.

There is much conversation about parks and arts and business and economy, but without that strong blanket of public safety covering the community, those discussion are for naught. It only makes sense that, without fail, public safety is always listed among the eight pillars, or strategic goals, for the City as it grows forward.

This includes securing today land and sites for future public safety facilities. Land for strategically placed fire stations and police substations are being acquired by the city, and plans are already underway to develop beyond the projects currently underway at this time. As the city expands, police and fire numbers, equipment, and facilities will do the same.

“There is not an initiative or a budget item that is more important in our City than those related to public safety,” said Celina Mayor Ryan Tubbs. “Yes, streets must be expanded. Yes, parks must be added. Yes, the Downtown area must be preserved and expanded. Yes, to so many pressing needs that are before us. But if we miss something in the area of public safety, all of these other great programs and possibilities stand on the brink of failure. Nothing matters in Celina more than the safety and security of everyone living, working, or visiting here.”

With the strong support of the City Council and City Hall, both of the arms of public safety in Celina have experienced unprecedented growth as numbers of personnel and pieces of equipment have been added to each of their departments.

In December, the Celina Fire Department announced its latest class of incoming firefighters to the department. The six new team members brought the total of new firefighters in Celina to 19 for 2023.

In addition to the new personnel, the Department recently announced the promotions of Justin Beamis to Division Chief of Training and Logistics and Brian Little to Division Chief of EMS and Fleet. All of these hires and promotions come as the department anticipates opening its third fire station just after the first of the year.

“This growth is evidence of the prioritization to the safety of our residents, and it’s what keeps us ahead of the needs that will come because of the area’s growth. I am so proud of these new firefighters joining our Department and these promotions that further strengthen our leadership team,” said Chief Metdker.

Also in December, Chief Cullison swore in two new police officers as the Police Department continues to aggressively expand ahead of the projected growth. These two new officers join an unprecedented list of 19 officers added to the force in 2023.

“So many people, through the years, have moved to Celina because of the incomparable level of safety and security in this community. In order to maintain the confidence and trust of our residents as we grow, it is imperative that our Police Department and Fire Department stay ahead of the growth by adding personnel now to meet the future needs of every family and business that lives or does work here.”

Not far into the new year, the City of Celina will first cut the ribbon on Fire Station #3, the newest public safety facility in the city, which is located near the Sutton Fields development at FM 1385 and Ballenger Drive. This new fire station, located near the far western border of the city, is a sprawling 23,324-square-foot facility. Featuring a five-lane apparatus bay, the station will have quarters for 12 firefighters and also boast training spaces for ongoing firefighter training and education.

“Fire Station #3 is a beautiful new public safety facility in a much-needed area of immense growth,” Chief Metdker shared. “Having a station of this size with the capabilities it will offer out on our western edge of the city will speed up response times in critical moments and allow our personnel to service one of the densely populated areas in Celina.”

Soon after that celebration, officials will make the journey eastward for the dedication of the new Celina Police Headquarters building just behind the Bluewood development at the corner of Coit Road and Punk Carter Parkway. The new 32,660-square-foot facility is intended to provide the Celina Police Department with a new state-of-the-art facility designed to allow officers and employees to feel that they have a work home that is efficient, secure, and thoughtful to their health and wellness.

The building features a large and inviting lobby that provides access to a sizeable room with all the furniture, A/V, and other support systems needed to serve as a community room and also serve various training needs for the department. With future growth in mind, there is space allocated in the new facility for a new Dispatch Center once the city reaches a size that this is needed.

In addition to the internal departments, there are the needed support areas for staff including a unified break room with access to the interior courtyard. Locker rooms with specialized lockers for law enforcement officers are located within a section of the building designed to withstand an EF-5 tornado. In addition to the main building, there is an adjacent 5,600-square-foot asset support building. The combination of these two structures is intended to support the Celina Police as they continue to provide outstanding policing services to the City of Celina.

“I cannot begin to describe the excitement shared among the men and women in our department for the new police headquarters,” said Chief Cullison. “This much-needed facility will offer our department a permanent home with state-of-the-art furnishings and equipment and room to expand our services as the city grows.”

The growth and progress these departments have experienced is remarkable. Prior to having full-time, paid staff, Celina’s pioneers of public safety made relentless sacrifices and etched into the foundations of this community the care and respect forever demonstrated by these servants to the public, and the high honor returned to them from residents.

Years later, from the hiring of Celina’s first Police Chief, Archie Bankston in August 1955 and the first Fire Chief, Martin Englebert in 2001, until now, Celina Fire and Police Department safety officials are some of the best in public service. Their acts of sacrifice and heroism, though often going unreported, and the service with honor they extend to this community are to be esteemed.

In the toughest or most tender situations, where life and death often hang in the balance, they show up with a relentless commitment to their high calling. In doing so, they honor a legacy of public service that stands across time and a robust future of nothing less than the same.

Over a dozen properties are already secure and plans are beginning for future expansion of public safety facilities throughout the city’s boundaries. In every part of Celina, one day, these finest public servants will be in close proximity to answer every call they receive and meet every need that may arise.

For those who have lived in Celina for any amount of time, this will be nothing new. It will simply continue what has always been and stand as a tribute to city leadership from yesteryear and now who are committed to making Celina not only the best city to live and work and raise a family, but the safest place to do so.