In a tradition that dates back to the horse-drawn fire engines of the 19th century, firefighters active and retired gathered at Chatham's brand new station Saturday to push the 1926 Morris engine backward into the big bays that will soon be home to its modern counterparts.

Since, in the past, horses were unable to back engines into the stations, the vehicles were pushed into the bays by firefighters.With that, the new $10.6 million fire station is now ready to be seen, with an open house scheduled for today at 1 p.m. and the building fully occupied and operational by Monday, depending on when the emergency 911 line can be installed.

Here’s what it’s like to respond to a fire in the town’s brand new $10.6 million fire station:You’re on duty for 24 hour shifts, but at some point you grab some shuteye in a double-bunk room. Before hitting the hay, you hit a red or blue button on the wall that marks you as firefighter or emergency medical responder.

When you’re due to be back on duty, the lights in the room come up gradually, like a sunrise. If an emergency response is triggered, LED lights flash and speakers sound. Running lights along the walls illuminate the hallway, which is extra wide to accommodate men and women in a hurry, carrying gear. In the crew’s quarters, every hallway is designed to run straight to the bays, where rescue and fire vehicles are kept. Along the way, flat-screen monitors tell you the nature of the call and a map of the route to the location.