Highland residents were introduced to their new fire station last weekend, and the 17,000 square foot, state-of-the-art building got rave reviews.

"To put it into perspective a person can die in four to six minutes if they are without blood to the brain. This building will make a life or death difference to our community," Franson said.

He was joined by a large group which included Alpine Mayor Hunt Willoughby, Fire Chief Craig Carlisle, Deputy Chief Brad Freeman, Highland City Administrator Barry Edwards, Construction manager Ron Peck and several fire fighters at the official ribbon cutting ceremony for the $3.1 million building. The ribbon was actually a yellow plastic "Do not Cross" fire line tape and as it came down the crowd erupted into loud clapping and cheering.

The fire station has been in the planning stages for a long time. For years the fire station has been located in Alpine.

"I feel it's been a long time coming," Carlisle said. "We have grown out of our Alpine building so part of our crew have been housed in the old Highland Water building just down the street. This building is great. It is as up-to-date a fire station as there is. A lot of people who have come to see it want to build one just like this for their community."

Former Pleasant Grove fire chief Mark Hales who took the tour was enthusiastic about the design.

"This is gorgeous," he said.

The building was designed to create a comfortable and homey place for the fire fighters who spend so much of their lives there. "The full-time fire fighters are here for 48 hours then have four days off," Fire Department secretary Nancy Jones who oversaw the décor said. "Most part time people are here for 12 to 24 hours then go to other jobs mostly with other fire departments."

The 3,500 square foot truck bay is large enough to accommodate the department's vehicles as needed which include a water tender, a pumper truck, a brush truck, a ladder truck, and ambulance. A new platform truck in on order.

The building itself is a work of art. The entrance is adorned with an old wooden ladder, wall waterfall and water-eroded wood in keeping with the theme of wood and water. The secretary's office is on one side where she can act as a gatekeeper. Visitors can only be buzzed inside by permission.

The chief and deputy chief's office and a conference room are along a hall on the main floor. It includes a huge kitchen and great room, with three refrigerators and three sets of cabinets, one for each shift. At the end of the kitchen area five recliners surround a big flat screen TV.

There are two laundry rooms, one for the fireman's personal clothes and another with a heavy duty washer especially designed so it doesn't wash the fire retardant off the fire fighter's heavy gear.

The second floor has a day room with couch and chairs and TV, five sleeping rooms again each with the three sets of cabinets.

"Each man has his own mat and bedding which he uses and stores under the bed at the end of his shift," Edwards said as he conducted a guided tour through the facility. Each two rooms share a center bathroom which is equipped with an electric push button locking device so both doors can be locked or unlocked at the same time.

The second story also contains a large emergency operations room where 50 people can sit at tables for training or in the case of a community disaster. It has a video and cable feed, computer access and two wall mounted TVs.

The most exciting feature is the mandatory brass fire pole just off the fire truck bay. It is located in the center of a glassed-in room at the end of the upper hall and can only be accessed by a coded lock.