BARDSTOWN, Ky. (WDRB) -- When it comes to saving lives – every second counts and the Bardstown Fire Department now has another option to come to the rescue even faster.
It has been a long time coming, but Bardstown's new fire station is officially open.
On Sunday, the public could take a tour of the new location just off Highway 245. The original fire house downtown is still in service, but will now be considered Fire House #2.
“There we had one bathroom, one shower - it’s a big thing now to the guys once they get back, they get in that shower right away - so here we have plenty of showers,” said chief Billy Mattingly.
Due to COVID-19, Mattingly delayed the grand opening until this summer despite the new station being in operation since last fall.
The new station has six bedrooms, three bathrooms and three shower rooms.
It also has its own designated weight room to be shared with the police department, along with higher bay doors to allow for taller trucks.
“We have total of seven and a half acres of land here so we have a training facility outside, we have a maintenance building,” Mattingly said.
Formerly the Newcomb Oil building, the station has been gutted with a total make-over, down to the new kitchen.
Even the community room is new – and will be used for various organizations – named after longtime Bardstown councilman Francis Lydian.
"The new facility has a piece of our father, brother, uncle as a part of it as well," said Lydian’s daughter Melinda. "It's humbling. And we know that he lives on."
With the new station being farther from downtown, it will decrease response times – with the goal of getting to fires quicker and saving more lives.
“NFPA says you should have a unit on scene within five and we’re averaging around three, to two-and-a-half (minutes),” Mattingly said.
And with Bardstown only getting bigger, Mattingly says a third station might not be far off.
“We have a lot more room for future growth here,” said Mattingly.
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