Photo courtesy "Welcome to Tom
Photo courtesy "Welcome to TomVolunteers crucial through department's growth
Throughout the years, the Tomball Fire Department has evolved from being entirely volunteer-based to staffing a combination of full-time, part-time and volunteer workers. In the City of Tomball's early years, the "fire department" consisted of any resident who saw a fire and took the initiative to do something about it. Water was extracted from the nearest private well. However, the need for an actual fire department became apparent in 1934 after one of the largest buildings in town—the Brick Hotel on Main Street—burned to the ground.
"The Houston Fire Department sent a truck up just in time to put out the embers," said Randy Parr, Tomball's fire chief since 2004. "This made people figure out real quick that we needed to have a fire department in Tomball."
The Tomball Volunteer Fire Department was organized in 1934 by William Holderrieth—a man who would later serve as the city's mayor. Its first chief was W. D. (Bill) Johnston, who was an employee of the Houston Light and Power Company at the time.
Water mains and fire plugs were first installed in 1935. Soon after that, the department bought a two-wheel fire buggy, which could be towed by four to six men and plugged in near a fire. In 1936 it bought its first truck, a Reo Speed truck from the nearby La Porte fire department.
