Residents and business owners east of U.S. 1 can rest a little easier these days. Now help is just a very short trip away.

A brief grand opening ceremony was held Sept. 15 for Apex Fire Station No. 4 on Hwy. 55. The $1 million-plus station, which also houses an ambulance and police sub-station, will allow first responders to reach homes and businesses in that area of town much faster.

Apex Fire Chief Mark Haraway said the station serves a vital need in the community.

"It's been in our plans ever since I got here," said Haraway. "Because of our response times to this area we were told by the state fire marshal that this station was needed. We're very pleased that we now have a station at this end of town. It will be a great asset to this community."

In a unique twist to cutting a ceremonial ribbon, town councilman Gene Schulze, a former volunteer fireman in New York, was given the honor of uncoupling a large fire hose in front of the building.

"Our response time to incidents in this area was degrading," said Schulze. "We saw a trend that we didn't like. Public safety has always been a top priority so we took action.

"I'm very excited about this new station. It's a very modern facility that not only serves the fire department but also police and EMS. It should serve Apex for many years."