SEYMOUR, Ind. (WDRB) -- A new multimillion-dollar fire station in Seymour will cut down substantially on response times, which could help save lives. 

Seymour Fire Chief Brad Lucas says Fire Station 2's new location at 1019 W. 2nd St. will make all the difference. 

"I said many times it’s going to be a game changer for the department, and I am really looking forward to it," Lucas said. 

Lucas is preparing to show off the city’s new $5.75 million fire station which broke ground nearly one year ago but has been needed for more than a decade.

Seymour Fire Station Exterior

Pictured: this image dated Nov. 7, 2022, shows the exterior of Seymour's new Fire Station 2 that will officially open Nov. 9, 2022, at 1019 W. Second Street, more than a year after ground was broken. (WDRB photo)

"I became chief in 2011, and shortly thereafter we started seeing the need for this and planning for this," Lucas said. "I am just amazed because I have watched it come from the ground up, and now I am seeing a finished product and it’s becoming a reality."

The nearly 17,000-square-foot building has several conference rooms as well as rooms where firefighters can relax in between calls. Lucas says it has "all the stuff you see in a firehouse, but only bigger and better for us."

Its massive kitchen has an eight-burner stove to feed the 43 full-time firefighters along with a unique, handmade table with legs made from old hydrants.

Seymour Fire Station 2 kitchen

This image taken from video dated Nov. 7, 2022, shows a kitchen with an 8-burner stove inside Seymour's Fire Station 2, a $5.75 million station that has been in the works since 2021. (WDRB photo)

One of Fire Station 2's focal points is an 1884 horse-drawn steam engine in the lobby, which was built specifically to display it.

The new station has plenty of important amenities the old fire station didn't offer: There's now a dedicated training room, instead of repurposed sleeping quarters. 

Seymour fire department

This image dated Nov. 7, 2022, shows Seymour firefighters bringing in an 1884 horse-drawn steam engine to be displayed inside the lobby of Fire Station 2. (WDRB photo)

"In our old bunk room, we would put the beds up and we’d have a training room," Lucas said. "So now, we have a dedicated training room." 

The new station also has individual bedrooms and bathrooms, as well as an office for a future assistant chief, something the department has never had.

The former station, which is less than a fourth of the size of the new station, is less than a mile away and will be repurposed by the city. 

Seymour Fire Station Break Room

Pictured: comfortable chairs in a break room of the crew quarters inside Seymour's Fire Station 2. The $5.75 million station has been in the works since 2021. (WDRB photo)

The new location is farther west and closer to the faster developing parts of the city to decrease response times.

Seymour Mayor Matt Nicholson said taxpayer money was not used for construction, thanks to a renewed police station bond that was paid off last year and reissued.

"As that falls off we are able to add the fire station back in and do this project as well as the City Hall remodel," Nicholson said. "And then also we have a Station One remodel coming along."

Seymour Fire Station Workout room

This image taken from video dated Nov. 7, 2022, shows a training room inside Seymour's Fire Station 2, a $5.75 million station that has been in the works since 2021. (WDRB photo)

Lucas said he is thrilled to see the fire station finally become a reality. 

"One of my goals when I first became chief was to build a fire station, so now we finally got that done and I am tickled to death, and I can’t wait to get here," Lucas said. 

The public is invited to the official grand opening of the station on West Second Street this Wednesday, Nov. 9, from 3-5 p.m. 

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