Officials discuss possible new fire station on US 411

As Rome and Floyd County continue to grow, especially along U.S. 411 toward Bartow County, officials are discussing how emergency services will need to grow accordingly.

With the expectation of thousands of new structures in the area surrounding U.S. 411, Rome-floyd Fire Chief Troy Brock said in order for the county to maintain its fire insurance rating, new homes need to be within 5 miles of a fire station.

The Insurance Services Office assigns a score, the ISO fire rating, as a benchmark used by insurance companies to determine the price of insurance. Not meeting this ISO benchmark can affect homeowners’ insurance payments, as they would be farther from help in the event of an emergency.

With this growth in mind officials have to predict, to some degree, where the new housing will be and where a future fire station might best be located.

As part of that discussion, a developer has offered some property on U.S. 411, across from Tractor Supply Co., in return for a city and county investment in roads and infrastructure. Brock expressed concern that the location might not provide enough coverage for parts of Floyd County, although officials agreed to continue discussion on the location.

The location would also necessitate a private access road to the station, so fire vehicles have immediate access to U.S. 411 as well as a dedicated traffic light to minimize chances of collisions during emergencies.

Regardless of whether or not they choose to use the property, they’re facing the potential of an explosion of growth along the corridor.

The Rome-floyd County Development Authority has facilitated the purchase of 202 acres of farmland intersected by Bass Ferry Road near the border with Bartow County for industrial development.

There are also two housing developments in the works.

The largest of the two, called Avalon at Rome, is a mix of 1,231 townhomes and apartments. It covers nearly 290 acres at the corner of U.S. 411 and the bypass, next to Floyd Memory Gardens. Another planned development nearby would build 125 townhomes on 34 acres off Dodd Boulevard between U.S. 411 and Callier Springs Road.