Fire substation is heading to Meridianville to help lower insurance premiums

MADISON Co., Ala. (WAFF) - A new fire substation is currently in the works in Meridianville, a move that could potentially lead to lower homeowner’s insurance rates for residents in the area.

The upcoming fire substation will be strategically located on Mt. Lebanon Road, a placement designed to have a positive impact on insurance rates. Meridianville Volunteer Fire Department Chief Brandon Burgess says the International Organization for Standardization rates the fire stations on several bases, including distance from a station. Chief Burgess says hundreds of houses in southwest Meridianville don’t meet that criteria, so they needed to build a new substation.

Currently, a significant portion of Meridianville’s population is served by the central fire station on Patterson Lane. However, the construction of the new substation is being funded by the Meridianville Fire Department’s limited resources, as no additional funding has been allocated for the project.

Fire Chief Burgess emphasized the importance of extending their service coverage to meet the needs of their customers better.

“Those are our customers, it’s our coverage area,” said Chief Burgess. “So basically, we have to find a way to provide service to them, and the only way we can accomplish that is to build another fire station. It’ll be a substation from our main station, and we’ll house at least one fire engine there.”

Looking ahead, Chief Burgess acknowledged the potential need for further expansion. He noted that the rapid growth experienced in recent years may necessitate the establishment of another substation in the eastern part of the area. Despite potential opportunities for collaboration with neighboring fire stations, this situation calls for a unique approach due to the geographical constraints imposed by surrounding areas.

“A lot of departments have the opportunity to have neighboring departments provide automatic aid,” said Chief Burgess. “Some of our county departments are partnered with city departments to give automatic aid we can’t win with that either. The city of Huntsville borders us to the south and to the west. None of those stations are within five road miles of those areas either.”

The next phase of the project involves clearing the designated lot and initiating the construction bidding process.

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