By Lindsey Doi

ROSEBURG, Ore. -- With the old Fire Station in a retrofitted car dealership and the Police Department housed in a converted grocery store, Roseburg emergency personnel will tell you: their new facility on the corner of Douglas and Stephens is a major upgrade.

Roseburg's new public safety center opened its doors Monday, much to the excitement of the city's Fire and Police Departments, who are now new neighbors, and a dream for emergency personnel who planned every detail of the building over the past three years.

For the Fire Deparment, that means extra-tall bay doors to house their new $900,000 platform ladder truck. That's in addition to a special system that traps diesel exhaust from fire engines and even individual dorm rooms for firefighters. And the Police Department saw major upgrades, too, including specially-designed interview rooms: one "hard" for suspect interrogations and another "soft" for making victims feel at ease.

But even with all the new bells and whistles, both departments agree that the major upgrade is simply a lot more space. An official ribbon-cutting will be held on December 1st, with public tours available on december 12th. That's so that police and fire crews will have time to settle into the new facility.