By Alan M. Petrillo

Cypress Creek Fire Department has opened its fifth fire station, Station 25, in the southern part of its protection district in response to heavy development in the area during the past few years.

Richard Lieder, Cypress Creek’s chief, notes that “There was very little development in that area for many years, but especially in the past five years, we’ve seen heavy development, including two residential subdivisions, a hotel, restaurants, a midrise commercial building, and several very large warehouses and light industrial facilities.” He adds that the drive times from the two closest stations to that area were unacceptable, so the department focused on building Station 25 to serve the current and future needs of the area.

Lieder says that Cypress Creek is a combination department that staffs each station 24/7 with four firefighters using a mix of paid, hourly, and volunteer firefighters.

Joby Copley, partner at Joiner Architects, says his firm has been in business 45 years mostly on designing and building fire and EMS (emergency medical services) stations. He notes that Harris County Emergency Services District 13, which Cypress Creek Fire Department is a part of, has been a long-time client of Joiner, with his firm designing a number of new stations and renovations for the district. “The department’s specific requirements were essentially that they wanted a large station that has a maintenance-free exterior, so we used multiple color brick veneer and some tile, along with a sloping shed roof.” The completed Station 25 is 14,627 square feet and has three 90-foot-deep, drive-through apparatus bays.

Lieder says that because the Houston area has a history of flooding, the department wanted to be sure it would not be a problem with Station 25. “We worked with engineers to excavate a large retention pond at the rear of the site, and then raised the station area floor level to the maximum available with that dirt,” he points out. “Another requirement we had for Station 25 was that all the glass and doors had to be rated to withstand 140-mile-per-hour hurricane wind, and we had Joiner put in additional dorm rooms so that during hurricanes or other natural disasters, we would be able to bring in a second or third shift and have plenty of space for everyone.”

Copley says Joiner designed the station with 12 individual dorm rooms, including two dorms for the fire and EMS captains, and six unisex shower/restrooms. The station has a very large kitchen and dining area, he adds, along with a day room that’s set up with stadium seating. “There also are four pantries for three fire shifts and an EMS shift,” he says, “and an outdoor patio where firefighters can grill and eat when the weather permits.”

On the opposite side of the apparatus bays from the living area, Joiner installed a decon room and turnout gear storage room with their own exhaust ventilation system, and a utility room and work area. “We put in vehicle exhaust systems for the apparatus,” Copley notes, “and added a secondary system in the bays t

“We wanted to take a moment to share an issue that came up and an explanation for why and how it was handled.

“In order to be sure we are providing adequate fire protection to our citizens, all of our equipment, pumps, hoses, nozzles, and ladders, have to be tested annually to be sure they are performing to standard. On April 20th 2022, a pump service test was conducted on Engine 3, a 1990 L9000 and our oldest engine. Engine 3 has an obsolete front mounted pump that is no longer manufactured and parts are unavailable for any kind of repair. The pump is supposed to flow at 1,250 gallons per minute, however, it will only produce 300 gallons per minute. This means the truck would not perform to the standard needed for structural firefighting and would endanger the firefighters, property, and public.

“When this happened, it put us in a pretty big spot. A brand-new engine starts at $600,000 for a base model. The least impactful and most fiscally responsible option was to buy a used 1998 Freightliner engine from the N. Walpole Fire District for $40,000. There will be an expenditure of $10,000 for hoses and nozzles, as the ones in current use will not work on this truck and are not to standard, and $5,000 in minor pump repairs identified on inspection. These expenditures were all used as leverage to negotiate the price. The funds were available in the truck capital expenditure warrant article account and will leave us with a reserve.

“The newly purchased truck has a Hale pump that is still serviceable and parts are still readily available. The truck has around 15,000 miles on it, and has maintenance records that were inspected by myself and our pump repair person. We expect to get up to 10 years of service out of this apparatus since the pump is serviceable, verified by our repair person, and the vehicle is in such good condition. This will give us time to get our replacement plan in motion, which includes working with a grant writer.

“This is part of the master plan of the fire department to update equipment to increase safety, reduce costs for maintenance, reduce the need for emergency replacement situations like this, and increase our abilities to provide a higher level of service to the Town of Mason residents while being fiscally responsible for the town’s funds. If there are any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call me at 603-487-7062 or 603-878-2208.

Thank you,

Anthony T. Burns
Fire Chief”
Town of Mason Fire Department