Marysville Fire Chief Jay Riley remembers it took awhile to understand what was happening on Sept. 11, 2001.

"It was the realization after the second plane hit that this wasn't like before," Riley said. "The gravity of the situation really set in. It was surreal."

On Sept. 11 this year -- a day now known as Patriots Day -- Riley will take part in a ceremony to remember those events and to dedicate Marysville's new fire station.

"It's a day to remember those who gave their lives but yet a day to look forward in the pride of being an American and a resident of Marysville," he said. "To say we're excited is an understatement."

The new Decker Fire Station is named after Maj. Gen. Oscar Decker, a local WWII veteran and active community member.

The $3.9 million, 19,800-square-foot facility sits on four acres on County Home Road, directly across from Navin Elementary School.

An exact move-in date has not been determined, but workers are bustling to get the station suitable for Tuesday's open house, which starts at 8 a.m. The annual 9/11 ceremony is scheduled for 9:50 a.m.

Throughout the day, students from Navin Elementary will venture across the road to get to know their new neighbors and enjoy some ice cream. At 5:30 p.m., the city will host a ceremony to honor former Marysville firefighters and volunteers. The open house will continue until 8 p.m.

"Patriots Day means we, as Americans, aren't going to let someone negatively influence our outcome," Riley said. "(It's) being able to say, 'Here we are -- better now than we were yesterday, and we're going to continue to be a better person and a better community.' "

Integrating training into the construction of the building in an effort to prepare for any event was important to the city, Riley said. A tower in front of the building can be used for training exercises. A large pond behind the building will double as a place to practice water and ice rescues.

The station is designed with three different areas: living quarters, which consist of a full-service kitchen, unisex dorms and a dorm room where firefighters can watch TV in their down time; the administration area, including offices and a training room; and a massive apparatus bay for the equipment.

"Two engines, the ladder, three medics and the battalion chief's vehicle will be housed in the bay," Riley said. "Everything that was downtown will be here."

About a dozen employees will be at the station at any given time once it opens.

While the city did not go for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, it did take steps to be energy-efficient.

"We brought natural light in with large windows and LED lighting so we can save energy and power in the building," Riley said.

The conference room is wired to enable video conferences.

"What a lot of fire stations' challenges are, if they want to get together for morning meetings, roll call or whatever, they have to drive from one station to another, and that eliminates the benefits of having everyone spread out to respond to calls," Riley said. "So we're using technology to get us together all at one time."

He acknowledged there are some current challenges with response times, considering construction on state Route 4 at the U.S. Route 33 bridge and the County Home Road intersection.

"We look at it as short-term inconvenience," he said. "It's kind of rebuilding our infrastructure in the city to get us where we need to be."