Arlington County officially opened its newest fire house Friday. Department officials said it's a eco-friendly, modern building designed with firefighters' health and safety in mind.

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The $4.5 million buildling has an environmentally friendly kitchen and other green features, they said. The interior is lined with LED lighting, which saves energy and reduces energy costs. The lights can transition from white to red during emergency calls.

Firefighters said that transition allows their eyes to adjust when they're woken up in the middle of the night. Alarms gradually increase in volume - rather than starting with a blaring horn - which can reduce stress on sleeping firefighters.

Instead of group quarters, each firefighter sleeps in his or her own designated dorm room. Because they sleep in separate rooms, the station's alarm system can wake up specific battalions or firefighters for emergency calls rather than waking the entire station.

Located at Old Dominion Drive and Lee Highway, the new station replaces Station No. 3's previous space down the block leased from the Cherrydale Volunteer Fire Department. As the local population grew, county officials said the station staff needed to grow as did the station space.

Arlington County will host an open house at Station No. 3 Saturday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. The address is 4100 Old Dominion Dr, Arlington, VA 22207. Parking is limited. For more information, click here.