Volunteers 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.

What is now the Harris County tax office on Walnut Street served as the first fire station in Tomball. The firefighters raised funds to build a second station from scratch on Main Street in 1980, according to Parr. This station is dedicated to Steven Snyder—nephew of former fire chief Bill Snyder—who lost his life in an arson fire, and is the only member of the TFD to have lost his life in the line of duty. Station No. 1, which TFD operates out of today, was completed in 1998 on Rudel Drive.

The fire department operated on a volunteer basis for more than a half century. It was not until 2000 when the first part-time paid fire chief was hired.

"Before, volunteers would spend the night in their houses," he said. "When the alarm went off, they would wake up and rush to the station. Today, we have people at the station 24/7. Our trucks are leaving within 90 seconds of the alarm going off."

Department evolution

The Tomball Fire Department has undergone several changes throughout its existence.

• Pre-1934: Residents who saw fire or smoke rushed to the scene to put it out
• 1934: The Tomball Volunteer Fire Department is formed by male volunteers
• 1941: During WWII, the department went through a period where it was run entirely by women
• 2000: The first part-time fire chief is hired in an effort to improve response times
• 2012: The department consists of more than 80 firefighters made up of volunteers, full-time and part-time men and women