At least 100 people gathered in the new Sycamore Fire Station No. 1 Friday afternoon to watch a firefighter’s version of a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

With the help of Sycamore Fire Buddies – a volunteer group of Sycamore firefighters who support local children facing critical illnesses – city officials decoupled fire hoses in the front of the engine bay of the city’s newest fire station to celebrate the facility’s formal opening.

Interim Fire Chief Mike Thomas said it’s traditional for departments to do a ceremonial decoupling of hoses instead of a ribbon cutting for new fire stations.

Before the decoupling, City Manager Michael Hall said the fire department had been working toward the new digs for the past 15 years.

“We’re so lucky as well, we didn’t borrow a penny for this building,” Hall said. “It was all done through the fund balance, and so $10.5 million for this great facility, and all of that is just because of how great this community really is.”

Located at 1351 S. Prairie Drive, on land donated to the city by IDEAL Industries, the new $10.5 million Sycamore Fire Station No. 1 was built to replace a nearly 70-year-old building that had long operated as the city’s first fire station.

Sycamore Mayor Steve Braser didn’t speak during the ceremony, but spoke with members of the community before and after the event.

“I’m just very happy with how everything turned out,” Braser said to Shaw Local.

Thomas, who left retirement to take the job after city officials placed former Sycamore Fire Chief Bart Gilmore on paid administrative leave in February, said the new “station belongs to the entire community.”

“As our community has grown over the years, so have the demands placed on our fire department,” Thomas said.

RoseMarie Treml, the CEO of the Sycamore Chamber of Commerce, said she thinks the new fire station is “fabulous.”

“I think this is so good for Sycamore, I think it’s great for our firefighters,” Treml said. “I think they’ve done all the – everything new and updated and current, and it’s really good for Sycamore.”

She also said she thinks the firefighters and officials who helped create the new facility are “real proud” of what has been built.

“You know what? The city is proud of it, as they should be,” Treml said. “The firemen are proud of it. We came a couple of weeks ago and got a tour and you can tell that they’re proud, and they should be. It’s beautiful.”

The nearly seven decades that separated the construction of the former Fire Station No. 1, 535 DeKalb Ave., and the new station were evident everywhere the public looked. Air conditioning worked properly in the building, and there’s more than enough room for the modern fire engine or ladder truck – all things the previous station struggled to facilitate.

The station also has new features, such as a workout area and a training tower.

Deputy Fire Chief Jim Ward, who’s been with the department for more than 20 years, said the tower will allow Sycamore firefighters to train for a variety of situations without leaving the city.

Lynn Davis, 81, of Sycamore, said she thinks the new station is “awesome.”

“It’s very open,” Davis said. “I mean, it’s not really cluttered with a lot of stuff, so it’s real professional looking and accessible.”

Lynn’s daughter – Deanna Cada, 57, of Sycamore – said she thinks the station is “beautiful.”

“I like the location of it because I know there were concerns about it being around the neighborhood, but it’s really accessible to a lot of the areas that need assistance here,” Cada, who’s also the director of the DeKalb County Mental Health Board, said.

She said she thought the construction, which began in May 2025, didn’t take long, but was glad to see what was built.

“Just really impressed with the space here, the features that it has,” Cada said. “And it looks really beautiful.”