Race to keep up From the cover
Diving in deeper
The big picture
With the surging population comes a higher number of emergency calls in the area. Since 2020, the population has increased by around 15%, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Alongside the focus on new stations, officials are looking at staffing as well. Over the past year, both ESDs 2 and 3 have seen an increase in hiring, officials said. Soliz said ESD 3 has 75 firefighters— an increase from 58 in 2022. “Hiring is extremely competitive right now; there are significantly more departments hiring than there were 10 to 15 years ago,” Soliz said. Sims said Conroe faces the same squeeze, with growth and development pushing call volume higher. The department has 151 personnel—up from 142 about four years ago.
Sims said the city is funding Station No. 8 through its capital improvement program. Design and construction total $4.99 million, with $350,000-$400,000 forecast for furnishings and equipment. The station’s engine and related equipment were purchased earlier for about $1 million, putting the all-in price at about $6.4 million. Meanwhile, in ESD 3, Station No. 31 opened in 2023, replacing the former station, which had been there since 1991. Soliz said the number of facilities now are nearly double what they originally had, nearly 30 years ago.
Concrete crews are gearing up for Conroe’s next re station—and city o cials said the new house can’t come soon enough. “I ... believe it will improve our response times and workload distribution,” Sims said. “The longest response times are in the future Station [No.] 8 region and the north end of the city.” Fire Station No. 8 is taking shape on the city’s east side, where new subdivisions and rising call volume have pushed response times longer, Sims said. Sims also said the project is set to be “nearly completed by mid-August.”
Montgomery County fire stations
ESD 1
ESD 2 ESD 3
Conroe Fire Department
Future station
Population change by ZIP code
2019 2024 0 10K 20K 30K 40K 50K
1097
Willis
JOHNSON RD.
45
+12.2%
77301
149
77302
+15.5%
1097
+39.7%
77303
75
77304
+32.6%
JACKSON RD.
1486
77306
+33.3%
105
2854
77316
+32.8%
336
Conroe
77318
+27.5%
77356
+20.7%
N
SOURCE: U.S. CENSUS BUREAU AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY/COMMUNITY IMPACT
SOURCES: MONTGOMERY COUNTY, CONROE FIRE DEPARTMENT, MONTGOMERY COUNTY ESDS 1, 2 AND 3 COMMUNITY IMPACT
© GOOGLE EARTH
Also of note
20 seconds citywide, with the longest times on the east side and the north end of Conroe. He expects Station No. 8 to help, but said it will take about a year of calls to measure the impact. Sims said if he could choose one resource to add to the department tomorrow to keep pace with growth, it would be additional fire stations. “Because of our distance, density, call volume and unit availability, which equates to increased response times,” Sims said. “With reduction in response times, this provides better coverage.”
National Fire Protection Association guidance under NFPA 1710 sets a response time benchmark of 5 minutes and 33 seconds from dispatch to arrival 90% of the time—a bar many fast-growing communities miss, Sims said. In ESD 2, Edwards said the average response time runs about 6 minutes. In ESD 3, Soliz said the average is about 6 minutes and 36 seconds, with traffic on FM 2854 slowing units at peak times. The city of Conroe’s challenge shows up in its 90th-percentile data. Sims said CFD’s 2025 dis- patch-to-arrival time sits at about 9 minutes and
Response times
National threshold
5 minutes, 33 seconds
ESD 2
about 6 minutes
ESD 3
6 minutes, 36 seconds
Conroe FD
9 minutes, 20 seconds
NOTE: DATA FOR ESD 1 WAS NOT PROVIDED.
SOURCES: NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION, CONROE FIRE DEPARTMENT, MONTGOMERY COUNTY ESDS 2 AND 3/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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