Fultondale’s fire department is getting ready to open a new fire station.

On Walker Chapel Road, the building, dubbed Station No. 2, is nearing completion, the exterior is finished and the interior is being prepared to accommodate the firefighters. It will be the third fire and rescue building in the city. Fire Station No. 1 is adjacent to city hall, and the other is on the campus of Fultondale High School.

Station No. 2 is an all-volunteer station that operates 24 hours per day, seven days a week with a staff of 15 assigned firefighters.

The new fire station will benefit the Fultondale community according to chief Larry Holcomb, who has been directing the fire station for the last four years. In the last year, the Fultondale Fire Department has responded to 120-125 emergency calls per month, with most cases being medical.

“We’re looking toward the future with all the new businesses and stuff opening up and the new subdivisions building,” he said. “It’s a benefit for the ISO (Insurance Services Organization) and can protect the citizens better.”

The ISO is an organization that assesses the overall quality of fire departments and gives each a rating that insurance companies use to help set homeowners insurance rates. The better the ISO rating, the lower the rates for homeowners insurance.

Holcomb said that Station No. 2 will help in reducing traffic and provide a faster response to emergency calls in Walker Chapel. A new fire engine recently purchased will be stationed there along with a service truck.

“One of the more rewarding aspects to me is knowing that you’re helping build a better community and a better fire department to help the citizens,” said Holcomb.

In the future, a military 5-ton truck will be used for both firefighting and medical emergencies.

State Farm Insurance has donated 100 weather radios to the new station. Iberia Bank has donated flashlights.

The staff at the fire department regularly face difficulties on the job. Despite the challenges they deal with, people have expressed gratitude for the department’s presence in Fultondale.

“Most of the people we meet on duty are not having a good day,” said Larry Adams, assistant fire chief, on helping people in emergencies. “Even though their house has burned down we still get, ‘we really appreciate this.’”

To celebrate the opening of Station No. 2, Holcomb and the staff of Fultondale Fire Department will host on a cookout with free hot dogs and refreshments on April 27 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The grand opening date was chosen as part of the city’s remembrance of the tornado disaster last year.

Note: This version of the story corrects an error in the print edition of the story, which was based on incorrect information supplied by the fire department.