The proposed station, approved at a Lakeway City Council meeting Nov. 19, will be built on 3.09 acres of land located at 15617 Flint Rock Road. By creating this new station, the fire department can expect to improve upon its emergency response time to surrounding neighborhoods, according to a city staff report. The station's design and construction will be paid for by Lake Travis Fire Rescue, with an estimated completion date of 2031, a Lake Travis Fire Rescue representative said.
The new station would eliminate plans for a proposed park in the area, subject to a “fee in lieu,” which would be paid to the city by developers and put into a special fund reserved for city park development and maintenance.
What they’re saying
The current average response time for fires in the region is five minutes and two seconds, Chief Robert Abbott of Lake Travis Fire Rescue said. By choosing this location for the new fire station, he estimates that response times could be reduced by two to two and a half minutes.
Benefits of the new station, apart from its convenient location, would also include a reduced call volume to the existing fire station at Lohman’s Crossing, Assistant City Manager Ashby Grundman said.
Currently, the unit there deals with a high volume of calls, occasionally necessitating units from the Bee Cave or General Williamson Drive stations be called in to assist, Abbott said. Those units will then face a delayed response time, having to travel further to arrive on-site.
“We know that time is of the essence in our line of work,” Abbott said. “A fire progresses rapidly every 30 seconds.”
Council member Christopher Forton, who has previously worked as a firefighter, addressed how significant a reduction of two minutes in response time could be.
“That could be the difference, with oxygen deprivation, between somebody surviving a medical emergency and not surviving a medical emergency,” Forton said.
The new station could also help improve Lakeway’s Insurance Services Office rating, or ISO, which is a rating insurance companies use to determine homeowner insurance costs, Abbott and Forton said.
“I want to highlight the strengthening of the ISO,” Abbott said. “Lakeway is doing very good with a low ISO of Class 2. Giving us a strengthened ISO will do well for the community—maybe one day we’ll get to a 1.”
What else?
Abbott said that another fire station is currently in development for Serene Hills, with operation slated to begin in 2028.
With the Flint Rock Road station now approved, Abbott said that the city will likely see the benefit of having a total of four functional fire stations within the next 10-11 years.
