Fire services update technology and build new stations

Fire services update technology and build new stations

Written by Mandy Hobby Wednesday, 07 March 2007

The Leander Fire Department knew they needed to prepare for future fire stations, fire fighters and staff when they went from answering 400 calls in 2003 to 1,400 in 2004. The department, along with city staff, began planning the second fire station in the city’s history three years ago and celebrated its opening March 3.

The station located at 1950 W. Crystal Falls Parkway across from Whitestone Elementary was financed by Leander’s 2004 bond project. With forecasts showing Leander will become one of the largest cities in Williamson County, a new station was needed to allow for quicker response times to service areas.

The one-story building has quarters for six fire fighters and one officer. It also houses an engine truck and a squad car. Brown Reynolds Watford Architects, Inc. designed the 6,500 sq. ft. fire house to reflect the surrounding hill country using limestone and stained cedar-siding.

Station Number Three

Leander Fire Chief Jerry Williams is already planning for a third station that will break ground this summer at US 183 and Sonny Drive.

“In a town like this that is growing so rapidly, we are always in the process of long range projections,” Williams said. “The third station will help service the growing west side of Leander.”

The station will include a three- to four-story training facility for in-house training. The department currently uses Cedar Park’s facility on East Little Elm.

“It is sometimes hard for people to understand that being safe costs money,” Williams said. “But, we are helping to work through the growth and needs of the city.”

Interoperability

Leander and Cedar Park fire departments are in the process of upgrading their radio technology from analog to digital. Changing to more advanced technology secures interoperability or exchange of information between city and county entities. Cedar Park and Leander will be able to talk with each other, as well as every department in both Williamson and Travis Counties for quicker and easier communication.

Leander will order their new radios this month and receive them in the next two months, while Cedar Park is still in the process of securing a $900,000 grant from the Department of Homeland Security on behalf of Williamson County for the radios.

“A lot of the radios are funded by the taxpayers, but it is always good to seek out and maximize grant opportunities to offset the costs,” Cedar Park Fire Chief Chris Connealy said.

Cedar Park Fire Department

Just as Leander is literally building for its future, Cedar Park is planning for the opening of its fourth fire station in May 2008. Located off Parmer Lane on Church Park Road, the 10,000 sq. ft. station will house one fire engine, an ambulance, a hazardous materials response unit and a brush truck.

According to Connealy, the city is master planned for five stations at build out, but is also focused on maintaining and improving the existing department. Last year the department was named as the EMS First Responder of the Year by the Texas Department of State Health Services based on response times. The department was chosen out of a pool of more than 2,400 Texas departments.

Connealy said the majority of the calls they receive, 71 percent, are emergency medical services calls.

“Fire is just one component of the fire department,” Connealy said. “We are an emergency services provider and all of our firefighters are emergency services technicians.”

Going the Extra Mile

Cedar Park’s fire department implements programs that take their duties to the next level. They have automatic assistant agreements with surrounding fire departments like Jollyville, Sam Bass and Austin so more than just one station is responding to an incident.

“We work to exceed residents’ expectations. We like to go and talk to neighborhoods and schools about what we do,” Connealy said. “We want adults, as well as children, to know what they are investing their tax dollars in.”

Chief Connealy also implements a relationship by objective program that allows firefighters and staff to have a say in the department’s growth and decisions.

“The chief could make all of the decisions if he wanted, but this interaction lets everyone collectively decide how we do things and give the firemen a buy in,” Connealy said.

The department hopes to become accredited by the Commission of Fire Accreditation by meeting all of the criteria of a well-run organization and to improve their insurance service rating from a 3 to a 2, 1 being the highest and 10 being the lowest.

Leander Opens Second Fire Station

The new station will serve the southwest portion of the city, which includes Grand Mesa and Crystal Falls. The exception is a structural fire, in which case all fire stations including Cedar Park are called.

A smaller, specialized truck has been ordered for easier operation in the smaller driveways and around the trees in the newer subdivisions. Though smaller, it has the same pump size as the larger trucks. The new truck was ordered after the November bond passed and should be ready in September.