A new fire station in the Alvaton Volunteer Fire Department’s coverage area is expected to be operational in March and bring a range of benefits, from better coverage to more favorable home insurance rates for nearby residents.

Mason Hamilton, chief of the Alvaton VFD, said the new fire station, located on Cumberland Trace Road near the Exit 26 interchange with Interstate 65, has been under construction since summer and will likely be finished in the next three weeks.

“I’d say it’s 80 percent up,” he said. “The walls are up and the lights and plumbing are in the process of being installed.”

The fire station will be the fourth in the Alvaton VFD’s coverage area, Hamilton said, adding that it will enable quicker response times by spreading the department’s resources more evenly through the area.

“Adding a fourth station is going to give us better deployment,” he said.

Several of the department’s firefighters live closer to the new station than to any current ones, which should allow them to respond more quickly, Hamilton said.

“They would ideally be able to get to the station and out faster,” he said.

The new fire station will also have the benefit of reducing home insurance rates for some area residents.

The Daily News previously reported that homes within five road miles of the department’s other fire stations have an Insurance Services Office fire protection rating of 5. On the ISO’s 1 to 10 scale, 1 is the best rating.

The new station will bring the ISO rating from 10 to 5 for about 230 properties within five road miles, Hamilton said.

Hamilton said most insurance companies base their home insurance pricing on ISO ratings, meaning people living within five road miles of the new station should see a reduction in their home insurance rates.

There were two other areas the department considered as locations for the new station but decided on the Cumberland Trace location because the county owned the property, which was already earmarked for a fire station, and because the property was closer to more homes than the other spots.

“It’s the most bang for our buck at this point,” he said.

The station will be the new home of a firetruck that is currently being held in reserve, Hamilton said.

“We’re bringing a reserve firetruck out of reserve status and into front-line status,” he said.

Though the construction of the building was originally expected to cost roughly $250,000, Hamilton said the only bid contract the department received was about $285,000.

The payment is being financed by a bank loan, though the department will likely put some fundraising efforts together to pay back the loan.

“Once the station is built, we’re probably going to start some capital fundraising,” he said.

– Follow Daily News reporter Jackson French on Twitter @Jackson_French or visit bgdailynews.com.