Wake County commissioners have taken the first step in a plan to consolidate fire service in unincorporated areas of the county, voting to close Western Wake Fire Station No. 2 in Cary.

The Monday vote will shift 157 homes covered by the closed station to the newly created Cary Suburban Fire District, with fire protection provided by the Cary Fire Department. An additional 590 homes will be covered by Western Wake Fire Station No. 1 in southwest Raleigh.

Western Wake Fire Station No. 2 is the first station to be evaluated under a long-range business plan approved by commissioners in 2005. That plan will scrutinize five stations to determine whether the service they deliver can be provided at the same or lower cost by nearby municipal stations.

The four other stations under consideration are Western Wake Fire Station No. 1, Bay Leaf Fire Station No. 3, Wake-New Hope Fire Station No. 1 and Falls Fire Station. Criteria for further closings will include the area’s water supply, the average number of firefighters on a truck, response time performance, cost, whether other services will be affected and the station’s insurance rating.

Raymond Echevarria, director of Wake County Fire/Rescue Services, said growth, not poor performance, drove the decision to close Western Wake Fire Station No. 2.

“None of these stations under consideration have done anything wrong,” he said.

Echevarria added that the station closure will immediately save the county $102,696 in operating expenses. Not having to maintain and replace the station’s fire engines will save an additional $769,809 through 2015.

Meanwhile, commercial property owners may experience a modest reduction in fire insurance rates after being incorporated into the Cary Suburban Fire District. But residential owners won’t experience a similar savings, Echevarria said.

Echevarria said no full-time employees would lose their jobs as a result of the closure, but some part-time firefighters may be terminated in the process. Other part-time jobs would likely be offered to them, Echevarria said.

The point of the consolidation plan is to save the county money, have quicker response times to fires and other emergencies, and eliminate duplicating fire protection provided by nearby municipal departments, Echevarria said.

“This move is a way to provide a quicker response time with more people in the engines,” he said. “It’s an important part of managing our growth.”

kristin.butler@newsobserver.com or (919) 829-4633