The new station replaced the almost 60-year-old complex, and can now house two appliances.

“It has a lot more space, and a lot better facilities,” brigade captain Bill Lang said.

The new station is home to one truck but has the capacity to accommodate another.

It also opens the opportunity for the 10-person brigade to expand. Mr Lang said the brigade hoped to start recruiting in the new financial year.

While the brigade moved in to its new home in February, the station was officially opened by emergency services minister Troy Grant on Tuesday.

The NSW Government provided $1 million over the past two state budgets for the construction of the station.

Mr Grant said the new station would help protect Abermain and its surrounds for generations to come.

“A fire station is at the heart of a local community,” he said.

“Firefighters put their lives on the line every time they head out of the station. They deserve outstanding facilities and this is what they have in Abermain now.

“The new fire station is designed to ensure our firefighters are trained, fit and ready so they can do their job effectively.”

The old station was demolished in mid-2016, and the Abermain brigade was co-located at the Weston Fire Station while construction of the new station was completed.

Fire and Rescue NSW had planned to close the Weston station and merge the two brigades once the new Abermain station became operational, but a community campaign successfully fought for it to stay open.

Mr Grant made the announcement that the Weston station would remain open on January 31, just two days after his appointment as emergency services minister (following NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s cabinet reshuffle).

This is the third Abermain Fire Station since the town’s first brigade was established in 1910. The original station, built in 1913 cost £521 or around $60,000 in today’s terms.