There’s a new fire and rescue substation in Polk County and fire officials are excited to show off this space.
To do so, there will be an open house from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 11, at the new Green Creek Fire and Rescue Substation, which is located at 5547 Pea Ridge Road.
Food will be provided and smoke detectors will be available to the public. There will also be station tours and equipment on display.
The excitement has been a long time coming for Green Creek Fire Rescue as they have been working for a very long time to make this station a reality.
“The purpose of this station is to help us better serve the citizens of our district,” said Fire Chief Jeremy Gregg.
The 80-foot by 80-foot building currently houses an engine, tanker, and brush truck, while there is room to add more equipment later.
“An office inside the building will be dedicated space for the Sheriff’s Office to use for a sub-station and we have also been in talks with the County about trying to get an EMS ambulance moved out here in the future,” Gregg said. “We built this building to plan for the future.”
In 2021, the Polk County Board of Commissioners approved a waterline extension on Pea Ridge Road to allow for the construction of the substation. The extension included fire hydrants along the route and makes all of Green Creek Township an Insurance Services Office (ISO) class 5, which should enable a break on insurance for residents. Residents won’t see that insurance break for a bit longer, though, as the substation must be certified by the state and there is currently a backlog for the state to complete this process.
“ISO fire ratings are scores given to individual communities that are based on how equipped the area is to respond to fire emergencies,” Polk County Emergency Management Director and Fire Marshal Bobby Arledge said. “Fire and ISO ratings are graded from one to 10 with one being the best and 10 being the worst. The lower the rating, the less you have to pay for insurance.”
Arledge added that dropping one ISO point would roughly save a home owner $100 per $100,000 value on a home. Currently, residents who live more than five driving miles or road miles from a station are considered ISO Class 9.
