The following information was compiled from Laurel's Story, a Montana Heritage (Johnston, 1979), Images of America Laurel (Kooistra-Manning, 2015), and various current and retired members and their spouses of the Laurel Volunteer Fire Department.
History
In 1909, fire department apparatus and equipment was stored and maintained in the old city barn. This area is now a parking lot for the City of Laurel located across the street from the current City Hall building (the old library). Later, the fire department was moved across the street to the newly completed City Hall building where two bays were made available for fire apparatus and equipment. The engine bay sat where the current City Council Chambers are. An upstairs meeting room and office were also provided. Unfortunately, there was not enough room in the engine bay to house all of the fire department's apparatus and equipment. Therefore, a lot of the apparatus that was acquired through Civil Defense and by purchase was spread throughout town. The two main fire trucks were housed in the current City Council Chambers. The "6 x 6" Army 2.5 ton grass rig was secured at the city barn located at Sixth Avenue and First Street South. The old No. 2 fire truck (the stand-by truck) was housed in Gay Easton's storage warehouse on First Avenue across from the old swimming pool (current splash park location). The second Army "6 x 6", acquired when Billings Heights Fire Department disbanded, was stored at the water plant. The Army Jeep (a not yet completed fire command vehicle) was parked in Dave Gauslow's garage. Dave Powers had the Dodge pickup, also acquired from Civil Defense, behind his service station. (Laurel's Story, a Montana Heritage, Johnston, 1979)
In 1976, the new Safety Complex was completed. It is located one block west of City Hall at the corner of First Street and Third Avenue and houses the Laurel Police Department, Laurel Dispatch, Laurel Emergency Medical Services, and the Laurel Volunteer Fire Department. With the completion of the Safety Complex, all of the fire apparatus equipment was brought under one roof and made readily available. Storage of records, evidence, maintenance, tools, air bottles, and extra hose was another advantage of the new Safety Complex. For the fire department, the Safety Complex had two offices, a training room, kitchen, and dormitory complete with showers. (Laurel's Story, a Montana Heritage, Johnston, 1979)
In 2010, a three bay addition with dormitories, bathrooms, offices, kitchen, and meeting room were added to the east side of the Laurel Safety Complex to house the growing Laurel Emergency Medical Services. This addition gave more room to the Laurel Police Department and the Laurel Volunteer Fire Department in the original Laurel Safety Complex building.
Current Building Status
The year 2026 marks the 50th anniversary of the Laurel Safety Complex. It still houses the Laurel Police Department, Laurel Dispatch, Laurel Emergency Medical Services, and the Laurel Volunteer Fire Department. Each department has grown exponentially in size making for a tight fit. Due to the lack in storage space and engine bay space, various fire apparatus, police apparatus, and EMS apparatus must park outside. Various equipment for each department is also stored in other City of Laurel buildings.
Maintenance on the Laurel Safety Complex is completed yearly. In 2022, varmint holes in the attic were sealed. Additionally this year, the showers in the west side of the building were fixed and made operational again after being broken for quite some time. In 2023, old infrastructure was removed and concrete was poured for further parking spaces for fire and EMS apparatus. In 2024, various leaks in the roof were found after a large snow storm covered the City of Laurel. Additionally this year, water leaks were fixed in the fire engine bay. Floor tiles also began to fall apart. In 2025, one of the storage closets was removed and two additional dormitories were built for the Laurel EMS staff. Additionally that year, the large pine tree on the northwest corner of the building was removed to prevent further damage caused to the building's foundation. Our maintenance department works tirelessly keeping up with building maintenance.
