COLUMBUS, Neb. -- Columbus Fire reached a milestone over the weekend and invited the community out to see the fire house and the history within the building.

The public had the opportunity to tour the new facility and see the equipment.

While the department has been around for a century and a half, Reserve Captain Benjamin Hellbusch has seen advancements in technology in his eight years with the Columbus Fire Department.

“The technology has changed," Hellbusch said. "Trucks have become more sophisticated, more electronic. Our equipment, our E.M.S. equipment has become better grade, more expensive, [and] more difficult to use but with proper training, we can get through that.”

Two years ago, the department received an upgrade to the main headquarters with the new facility to house more equipment.

Firefighter Dustin Nelson said with the growth of Columbus, the fire department needed to make the upgrades.

“Columbus is growing at an exponential rate right now," Nelson said. "There’s housing developments going up. This is going to help us dramatically and especially in the future to where if we need to add on.”

The new facility is equipped with extra laundering facilities, living quarters, and space for nearly all of the vehicles.

Nelson said the old building was cramped and was not able to store their vehicles.

Along with offering tours of the facility, the public was able to enjoy hot dogs grilled by the department, water sprinklers to cool off, and a trailer where children could experience what happens when there is a fire.

Inside the fire station, there are many historical artifacts of the department and Nelson said it is an honor to be a part of the long history of Columbus Fire.

“It’s truly an honor to be part of that legacy of this fire department," Nelson said. "150 years. There’s not many fire departments that have even reached 100. 150 is a big deal.”