TRENTON, N.C. — The Trenton Fire Department opened its new building, which will allow the firefighters to focus on the community first in times of need.

"We don't have to worry about rescuing ourselves during a flood again. It's going to be on higher ground. We had nearly four foot of water in our current station, so we had to abandon and try to save ourselves before we could save the public," said Kyle Koonce, the Assistant Fire Chief of the Trenton Volunteer Fire Department.

The original building was damaged during Hurricane Florence.

"It was opened in June of 1955, so it had been there 65 years in the same location and flooded out about three times," Koonce said.

The construction of the new building was made possible from the Disaster Recovery Grant Program, which provided more than $2 million.

"I'm proud to say we're moving in here, and we don't owe a penny on it, and it's 100 percent paid for," Koonce said.

Working from the temporary location has also had its challenges.

"We were able to get back in our fire station, but it was gutted for months until we got it fixed in 2019," Koonce said.

Now that the firefighters are in their new station, they are looking forward to being the central location in Trenton.

"Local fire departments a lot of times in small communities are in the center of town, and that's something we're looking for here, something the public can be proud of," Koonce said.

The Trenton Volunteer Fire Department consists of roughly 30 firefighters.