NORWAY — The construction of a fire substation in the north end of town could mean a reduction in homeowner insurance rates and faster response time, fire Chief Dennis Yates said Tuesday.

Voters at Monday’s annual town meeting are expected to debate whether to start saving money to purchase land for a substation or establish a committee to study the plan.

The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. June 16 at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School in Paris.

The Board of Selectmen and the Budget Committee will recommend voters establish a committee to study the cost of building, equipping and operating a substation and the benefits of doing so.

Yates is recommending voters raise and appropriate $20,000 for the future purchase of land in North Norway.

“I thought if this is ever going to happen, we need to put money aside today,” he said. “It might be five years away.”

Yates said he focused on the plan when a homeowner came to him to discuss the high cost of home insurance and whether additional fire safety would help reduce those costs.

Yates used as an example a home assessed at $190,000 in the north end of town, which is considered a Zone 10. The homeowner is paying $891 annually for homeowner’s insurance because the house is outside of the five-mile priority range of a fire station set by ISO. The organization studies property/casualty insurance risks that insurance companies may use when setting rates, Yates said.

If a substation was sited in the north end of town, that home could be pushed into Zone 4, which could reduce the homeowner’s insurance rates to about $500. While each homeowner’s insurance rates are defined by a number of factors, including availability of hydrants, the proximity of a home to a fire station is a known factor, he said.

A substation would provide more fire protection, he said.

“Response is everything,” Yates said. Several firefighters already live in the north end of town, which would decrease their drive time to the station and therefore response time to a fire, he said.

Yates said he favors a two-bay building for Engine 1, which is certified for use and currently housed in the Danforth Street station. Tanker 1, which carries 2,400 gallons of water, could also be stationed there until another tanker was purchased, he said.

Yates said he intends to provide selectmen and voters over the next year with a more in-depth analysis of the benefits of a substation in North Norway, but for now he said it is more practical to begin to save money for the future purchase of land.

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