An open house will be held at the new fire station on Pleasant Street on Thursday, May 25. Contributed / Brunswick Fire Department

The Brunswick Fire Department will celebrate its new $13 million Central Fire Station May 25 with a special ceremony at 4 p.m. and building tours from 4:30 to 7 p.m.

“I felt it was important for the town to do a small formal opening,” said Fire Chief Ken Brillant. Plus, he wants to show off the 26,000-square-foot building that replaces the department’s former 100-year-old station.

“We have more storage, more ability to maintain equipment, to clean equipment, and not be using one space for multiple different things,” he said. “The living quarters are very separate from the response area” and “the front lobby doubles as a museum for display type pieces.”

Tight quarters was a big concern at the old station, he said. Firefighters had to be careful driving through the bay doors because it was such tight squeeze for the trucks. Now, they have much more space, and their trucks can easily pull in and out.

Fire Deputy James Millson said all the extra space is appreciated, “especially where our apparatus is,” and it makes for smoother operations. The sleeping areas are another plus. The old station “wasn’t really built for people to sleep there,” he said.

The lighting and heating and cooling systems also make the living quarters more comfortable, Brillant added.

The station was built to accommodate “future growth, if need be,” he said.

Millson said he hopes residents will come out and see what their vote helped create.

“Moving forward for the future, it’s a great asset for us to have,” said Millson.

The new station is located at 119 Pleasant St. in Brunswick.