Spring Fire Department is in the process of completely rebuilding Station 72, renovating the interior of Station 77 and building a new training center, SFD officials confirmed in mid-November.
The big picture
Built in the '70s, the original Station 72 lacked dorm space as it was geared toward volunteer firefighters. Assistant Chief Robert Logan said SFD began hiring full-time firefighters in 2013 and has since created makeshift dorms to accommodate staff.
SFD tore down the original Station 72 in early 2024, and construction on the replacement station is expected to wrap up in summer 2025. In addition to dorm space, Logan said the station will also house an ambulance, which it did not have before.
"That will help provide better [emergency medical services] to the north part of our territory in the Northampton subdivision," Logan said.
While Station 77 was built more recently in 2011, Logan said foundation issues needed to be addressed, which sparked the interior renovation. Construction on this project began in late summer 2024 and is expected to wrap up before summer 2025.
On roughly 63 acres of land at the northeast corner of East Louetta Road and Lexington Boulevard, construction began in early 2024 on a two-phase project, which will include a 51,000-square-foot logistics building, training props and an education building, which will also house administrative space. Fire Chief Scott Seifert said the project was first discussed in the '90s and SFD has been working since 2016 to bring the project to life.
Currently, SFD does a majority of its training at a Harris County training site in Atascocita. Deputy Chief Landon Churchill said having a training center within SFD territory will mean better outcomes for residents.
"By being able to train inside of our territory, we're able to maintain all of our response times, which translates to the residents getting a much better service," Churchill said.
Seifert said Phase 1 of the project is expected to be complete by March 2026; however a projected completion date for Phase 2 has not yet been determined.
The cost
The Station 72 replacement project costs $6.6 million, while the Station 77 renovation project costs about $3 million, Logan said. Both projects are funded through capital reserves.
Phase 1 of the training center costs $48 million, and while an exact cost has not yet been determined for Phase 2, Seifert said he expects it to in the same ballpark as Phase 1. Both phases are being funded by loan proceeds.
Seifert added SFD will be able to recoup some funding through training center rental fees as outside organizations are anticipated to also utilize the new space.
Something to note
While construction is underway at the two SFD stations, the Station 72 crew is being housed as a nearby Klein Fire Department station, while the Station 77 crew is being housed at the nearby SFD Station 75. Churchill said this is done strategically to help SFD maintain an average response time of 5 minutes and 31 seconds.
"Even when we're renovating something, we want to make sure we're still meeting our commitments to the community," Churchill said. "So we dig into all the [data] and make sure that even when we're out of the station, we're still able to get everywhere we need to be in a timely manner."
While SFD's coverage area spans 62 square miles across the northern portion of unincorporated Harris County and includes roughly 174,000 residents, the department also provides mutual aid for neighboring districts.
What's next
Logan noted SFD owns about 1.5 acres of land at the intersection of Cypresswood Drive and James C. Leo Drive, and has plans to build the department's 10th station on that property in the next couple of years.
"There's a football stadium there and they're building a couple thousand homes out there so [there's going to be a need]," Logan said.
