Fire Chief Joe Sykora said the department is not meeting national standards with personnel numbers; standards call for four firefighters on each truck—two engine trucks and one ladder truck. With existing staffing, Sykora said there are three firefighters on each truck and a firefighter serving as battalion chief during each shift. He said the department calls in other cities to help meet compliance with enough personnel. The fire department faces a lot of unknowns, such as crew size, capability, what apparatus—or vehicle—is available, and the other city's response location.
Sykora said hiring more firefighters would mean not having to rely on other fire departments to fulfill calls and would ensure Tomball has the proper number of personnel on scene.
In addition, Sykora said the department needs more dispatchers as the fire and police departments only have two. The fire department presented a need for three more—one supervisor and two staff to work during peak hours.
For equipment, Sykora said the department needs two new engines and one new minipumper, allowing crews to get into smaller and off-road areas.
In addition, Station No. 4, which is in the design stage, will be located in southeast Tomball, an area that has seen a significant amount of growth, Sykora said. He said the department projects a 21% increase per 1,000 people in calls from the southeast region.
Assistant Fire Chief Jeff Cook said once the new station is in service, it will reduce the calls to the other three stations.
Station No. 4 is fully funded by Harris County Emergency Services District No. 15, which contracts with the city. Cook said the station is estimated to break ground in April 2022 and open in April 2023.
Sykora said in 2023, the department will add nine firefighters to Station No. 4, one dispatch supervisor and a new engine. In 2024, the fire department will add three firefighters to Station No. 1, which responds to the highest percentage of calls, and three firefighters to Station No. 5.
In 2025, the department anticipates adding three firefighters to Station No. 2, two dispatchers and a minipumper vehicle that includes medical response, according to the presentation. In 2026, the fire department will add three more firefighters to Station No. 4 and a new engine.
