Firefighter equipment sits on the floor of Salem Fire and Rescue's main station in Lexington, Georgia, on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. An expansion to the station was completed in October 2024. (Katherine Davis/The Oglethorpe Echo)
Salem Fire and Rescue is using a 4,000-square-foot expansion to more effectively respond to emergencies and lower insurance in its response area.
The primary fire station on Davids Road, originally constructed in 1988, was built to hold only two fire trucks. Most recently, it housed three.
Additionally, in the last five years, the department’s call volume has more than doubled, according to fire officials.
“The needs of our department had outgrown the building,” said Justin Sanders, chief of Salem Fire and Rescue. “We built it not only for current needs, but for future needs for the next 30 years.”
Construction took approximately six months, with the add-on being completed last October, making it one of the largest stations in the county.
The addition was built to house the trucks, and the older part will eventually be converted into a meeting and training space.
The addition was part of a larger plan that the department had been working toward, including vehicle electrification, heavy rescue training and new equipment.
Additionally, these efforts have helped reduce Salem Fire and Rescue’s Insurance Service Office (ISO) rating.
An ISO rating is an evaluation of a fire station’s ability to respond to fires on a scale of one to 10, with one being the best. The scale is based on a variety of factors, including raining, equipment and water supply.
Prior to the improvements, Salem Fire and Rescue’s main building was rated 9 on the ISO scale, but has since been reduced to 5. The second station has also been reduced from 10 to 5.
The lower a station’s ISO score, the lower the home insurance is in its coverage area. Sanders said he has heard that people in the Salem area have saved anywhere from $800-$1,200 a year on their homeowners insurance since the ISO score improved.
It was a long road to this improvement.
In 2021 and 2023, Salem Fire and Rescue absorbed two other stations, located in Philomath and Maxeys.
“They either faced the state shutting them down and that area having no fire coverage, or us taking them over,” Sanders said. “That was never anything we had ever planned on doing.”
After taking over each station, the department had to reallocate some of its funds into equipment and trucks to make sure that they were properly equipped.
Eventually though, the expansion was paid for by a mix of savings, a mortgage loan and community donations.
However, the community donated more than just money. Residents also gave equipment, labor and more. Even the flag that is flown in front of the station was donated by Woodmen of the World.
“We could not have done it if it were not for the people that made donations of equipment, grading, financial help, stuff like that,” Sanders said.
Thanks to community help, the final cost of construction came in under budget, and Salem Fire and Rescue was able to make even more improvements to the station, including air compressors, electrical reels and an automatic garage door.
These improvements have helped reduce the response time by at about a minute, Sanders said.
“You know, we’re trying to stay ahead and meet the needs of the community,” said Ethan Thaxton, deputy chief. “That’s an increase in the amount of equipment and space that we need to be able to adequately respond and cover.”
With an improved ISO score and a better facility, Salem Fire and Rescue leaders say it’s better equipped than ever to serve its community. “It’s just so much nicer than what we had," Sanders said. “I don’t think when they built the station in 1988, they had ever envisioned it becoming what it has become.”