First responders in Catoosa are celebrating the opening of a brand new public safety complex.

The project represents a huge upgrade for police and fire and will bring them together in new premises on the same site.

Both the fire and police chiefs here in Catoosa say one of the best things about the new Hamby Lynch Public Safety Complex is its central location, which they expect will cut down on response times.

The new security complex is right on the corner of Pine and 193rd, right in the middle of town.

“It’s basically in the geographic center of Catoosa, so I think our response times will improve a lot,” said Catoosa Police Chief Ronnie Benight.

He says this new facility is a big upgrade from the old police and fire stations.

“Everything is state-of-the-art the best we can have for what’s out there right now,” says Benight.

The more than $20 million project was funded by a GO bond and is the new home of a brand new police and fire station designed for a growing city.

“It’s grown and changed a lot,” said lifelong resident Jimmy Rimer.

Rimer owns Barn 66 in Catoosa and says the new complex will only help his town.

“It’s definitely going to be needed for the future in the next year next 12 months I would say, it’s going to be a positive addition to our community,” said Rimer.

The complex replaces outdated facilities. Fire Chief Denus Benton says the new station will allow them to store fire trucks and firefighters under one roof.

“This is set up where I mean these guys can get out of the bunk at night and they’re right in the bay where the truck is and they can get out the door,” Benton says.

It also has a space for crews to clear bunker equipment after a call, to get rid of any cancer-causing chemicals left on the equipment.

“They go straight to the decon room and they can remove all that stuff, we have a special washer that we didn’t have before, we got a special dryer to dry the bunker equipment,” Benton says.

The complex will also house a new dispatch center for Catoosa, something the city hasn’t had in years.