By George Slaughter
Fort Bend County Municipal Utility District #151 and the City of Katy signed a fire protection agreement last month. Under the agreement, the district provides the facilities and equipment. The city provides the firefighters, all of whom have first been trained as emergency medical technicians. The district pays the costs, along with a 5% administrative fee.
The district and city accepted a big piece of the equipment, a new fire truck, Thursday morning at the district’s fire station at 2944 FM 1463.
The district sits in northwest Fort Bend County, outside the Katy city limits but in the Greater Katy aera. For the approximately 3,000 households in the Firethorne subdivision there, getting fire protection has been a concern.
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- Katy firefighters “push back” a new fire engine for the Fort Bend County MUD #151 Thursday morning – George Slaughter photo
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- Fort Bend County MUD #151 purchased and owns the new fire truck but it is staffed by Katy firefighters – George Slaughter photo
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- Katy firefighters post in front of a new fire truck for the Fort Bend County MUD #151 – George Slaughter photo
The truck was a demonstration unit and modified to meet the district’s needs as suggested by Katy Fire Department personnel. The most significant change is the addition of an advanced life support chamber in the rear of the cab, behind the driver and passenger seats.
Katy Fire Chief Russell Wilson said the ALS, as it is called, provides greater potential for life support.
One of the firefighters who will use the ALS, Ben Crowell, described the compartment as nice.
“We all like it,” Crowell said.
The district paid $537,000 for the truck. Keith Gier, president of the district’s board of directors, said it was a good deal for the district, as a new fire truck costs much more than that.
“It’s a great arrangement with the City of Katy,” Gier said. He said some critics of the deal disliked it because it was not the most fiscally conservative, but it was the best option for the district.
Sean Fitzsimmons, another board member, agreed that the district got a good deal with the city.
“I got the coverage that I need and that my family needs,” Fitzsimmons said.
The truck will have a four-person crew. Wilson cited a U.S. Department of Commerce study that said four-person crews completed firefighting and rescue tasks up to 30 percent faster than smaller crews, which can be critical when ensuring safety.
Wilson shared the story of one area resident who needed emergency help. Katy firefighters arrived on the scene and were able to stabilize the patient before the ambulance, coming from Fulshear, arrived 15 minutes later.
The district took delivery of the truck following a long-standing fire department tradition. The engine was parked outside the middle bay where it will sit, and firefighters, directors, and well-wishers in attendance “pushed back” the engine into the bay. It replaces another fire truck, also used as a loaner.
The truck was marked “E-3” to reflect that it belonged to a station that, while owned by the district, will be in effect Katy’s third fire station.
The public is invited to an open house at 6:30 p.m. July 12 to see the station and meet some of the firefighters.