North Courtland hopes to lower ISO rating with new fire station

Dec. 16--NORTH COURTLAND -- North Courtland officials hope homeowners get an insurance break after construction of the town's new fire station is complete.

North Courtland Fire Chief Levolia Smith Jr. said the town's Insurance Service Office Rating stands at an 8 on the 10-point scale insurance companies use to determine homeowner insurance rates. The best score is 1.

The fire department has the tools for success, Smith said. The department received a new truck three years ago and has all the equipment. The firefighter enrollment numbers, however, are low. Only five volunteer firefighters are on the roster, Smith said. He needs 12.

Smith said the new building, at 12316 Jesse Jackson Parkway, will draw more members. The old building turns potential members away because only one of the town's two fire trucks fits inside, the building leaks when it rains, and it has wiring problems.

"A new building is like a new car. It attracts new people who want to help the department out," Smith said.

E Tech Construction started working on the fire station Tuesday. The Hartselle company has until Feb. 15 to finish the 2,520-square-foot facility. The project is funded by a $250,000 Community Development Block Grant through the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.

Project Manager Lauren Sanford said the building will have a multipurpose room, two bathrooms, a janitor's closet and an apparatus bay that will fit both trucks.

"The old station is too small for their needs," Sanford said. "This will definitely give them enough space for all their equipment and allow them to grow."

Smith, who has worked with the fire department for almost 40 years, said there was a time when there were enough volunteer firefighters. Replacements became hard to find when loyal volunteers started leaving because of old age. Smith said the younger ones who do join leave after a year or two to work somewhere else.

"It's an ongoing thing," Smith said. "If we could get at least 12 or 13 more people, our ISO rating will improve."

Getting the funding for a new fire station has been a goal for the town for about 10 years, Mayor Ron Jones said. During that time, the veterans of the fire department did their best with the upkeep of the 30-year-old building.

"I want them to see the new building because they deserve it," Jones said. "I wanted them to see the fruits of their labor and dedication they have put into the fire department."

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