Gurnee opening new Fire Station 3 on Wednesday

The Village of Gurnee and the Warren Waukegan Fire Protection District will celebrate the grand opening of Fire Station 3, 5330 Manchester Drive in Gurnee, with a ribbon-cutting and celebration at 1 p.m. Wednesday.

The new, 14,452-square-foot fire station will be staffed with five firefighter-paramedics, and house two ambulances and one ladder truck.

Officials say the new location will improve call response times, especially as multiple calls for service come in simultaneously, and provide for easy access to Interstate 94 and Route 120.

Despite the unprecedented impact of COVID-19 on all aspects of the economy and daily life, construction of the $5.8 million Station 3 was not affected, officials say.

"We are proud of this station and want to thank the community for their constant support," fire Chief John Kavanagh said in an announcement if Wednesday's celebration. "It was hard to move forward with taxpayer dollars during uncertain times, but the timing couldn't have been better. We came in under budget and on time. This station supports the continuing increase of emergency responses and is a much needed asset to the village, its residents, visitors and businesses."