Alan Benson

"The fire department has come a long way," Benson said. "Certainly they're not my accomplishments. They're the accomplishments of our community leaders and, more importantly, the people who are members of this fire department."

Benson said he has been interested in fire service since a young age.

His father, uncle and his father's cousin all served on fire departments, and he recalled trips home from the local grocery store in Oklahoma City on the back of a fire truck. Benson said his father was considered a "smoke eater" when he served, fighting fires in an era where firefighters were judged on how far they could enter a building and last without a breathing apparatus.

However, Benson's father dealt with health issues early in his life, having open heart surgery at age 38 and dying at 46, the same year Benson first joined the Oklahoma City Fire Department.

"I think that kind of instilled in me the desire to be a part of the fire service that developed smarter firefighters and realizing it was a physical job, but it also requires a lot of intelligence to do the job right," Benson said. "That gave me the motivation to elevate through the ranks and finally have the opportunity to become the fire chief in Oklahoma City."

Following college, Benson served with the Oklahoma City Fire Department for 25 years, including three and a half as the city's fire chief.

However, the pension program in Oklahoma would not allow him to continue serving as a firefighter, which brought him to The Woodlands.

Benson said one of the biggest challenges in his nine years in The Woodlands has been keeping up with the growth. The rising population has caused the community to add three more fire stations.

"I've been doing construction ever since I got here," Benson said. "Staying up with the growth of the community and the growth of the fire department has been a great opportunity, and it has also been a challenge."

With much of The Woodlands covered in trees, the community's environment can be a challenge during periods of drought, Benson said.

However, the community has avoided any significant wildfires, even during the 2011 drought, which saw the nearby tri-county fire engulf much of western Montgomery County.

He attributed the prevention of large wildfires to natural barriers within the community, mutual aid partnerships and efforts by residents to prevent fires from spreading.

Benson said The Woodlands has held a high standard for fire response, and all fire stations are currently meeting the standard average of 5-minute response times. Although recent traffic congestion may have slowed responses in some areas, construction does not have a significant effect as the department uses other resources.

"We actually respond the closest unit, realizing we have some congestion on certain areas because of construction," Benson said. "We'll actually send another unit from another direction in case they get held up because of traffic. It's part of progress, but we wire around it to the best of our ability."

One of the biggest challenges facing the modern fire service is the diversification of fire departments, Benson said.

Firefighters must be trained on how to operate technical rescues, such as underwater, trench rescue or building collapse, while also understanding hazardous materials, hydraulics, public speaking, code enforcement and other issues that residents might bring up.

"I always make a joke that when you don't know who to call, you don't call the 'Ghostbusters,' you call the fire department," Benson said. "These guys out there will do anything they can, even if it's not fire department related, to assist our citizens."

Fire Station 2 renovations

• Construction is expected to begin in April on renovations to Fire Station 2 in Cochran's Crossing.
• The $1.6 million project is scheduled to take 8-10 months and expected to be complete by February 2015.
• The city of Shenandoah has approved a lease agreement with The Woodlands Fire Department that will allow its personnel to operate out of the city's public works building for $2,000 per month.

ISO Rating

• The Woodlands Fire Department recently received a Fire Suppression Rating of 1 from the Insurance Service Office.
• A score of 1 is the highest ISO rating a fire department can achieve.
• Fewer than 60 communities nationwide have earned the rating.