Paving the way The San Marcos Fire Department is preparing to open Fire Station No. 6 this summer and has plans for four more stations in the future to ease pressure on the existing stations. New SMFD stations SMFD stations SHFD stations
“Where we have longer response times isn’t because we don’t have people regularly assigned. … It’s just because the city has grown away from its core, and we haven’t built the stations to address that growth yet.”
PIEDRAS PASS
SHFD No. 13
159
VILLAGE RD.
New Station No. 3
New Station No. 4
160
SMFD No. 5
CARLSON CIR.
SMFD No. 2
SAN MARCOS
FLINT RDG RD.
21
35
12
LES STEPHENS, SAN MARCOS FIRE CHIEF
CENTERPOINT RD.
SMFD No. 1
majority of overall firefighters in the country. In 2020, there were around 364,300 career firefighters, or around 35% overall, with 679,900 volunteer firefighters, or around 65%, accord- ing to data from the National Fire Protection Association. Those numbers have fluctuated in the past several decades. From 2003- 20, the number of volunteer firefight- ers decreased by 123,000; the number of career firefighters increased by around 67,000. However, the number of firefight- ers overall has remained steady with a range of 1.08 million to 1.16 million, which has struggled to keep up with the growth and demand in areas like Hays County. Since the allocation of funds in December, the South Hays Fire Department has had some luck in recruiting more staff with several part-time hires, Simonson said; one former volunteer returned as a part- time firefighter. Tyler Kunz has been on and off vol- unteering for various stations through- out Texas since his high school days in northwest Harris County. Kunz’s first time volunteering for the SHFD was in 2006; a lot has changed since then, he said.
MARTIN LUTHER KING DR.
SADDLERIDGE DR.
New Station No. 1
OAKWOOD LOOP
80
SMFD No. 3
WONDER WORLD DR.
SHFD No. 12
12
SMFD No. 4
KEEPING UP Additional stations and staffing will help decrease response times.
123
SHFD No. 11
1979 The South Hays Fire Department had an overall average response time of 11 minutes and 16 seconds from January-February. The National Fire Protection Association has a benchmark goal of 9 minutes and 20 seconds. The SMFD’s average response time is just under 8 and a half minutes.
35
New Station No. 2
SMFD No. 6
POSEY RD.
MAP NOT TO SCALE N
SOURCES: NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION, SAN MARCOS FIRE DEPARTMENT, SOUTH HAYS FIRE DEPARTMENT/COMMUNITY IMPACT
changed our purchase power,” Simon- son said. “Sales tax is generated where the cash register is. Now, you’re order- ing from your living room; you’re checking out at your living room.” E-commerce, or online sales, steadily increased by 185.47% nationwide from 2018 to 2021 with an increase between 2019 and 2020 at 43.88%, according to
data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The increase in sales tax in the county during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns left a larger pool of funds to pull from for staffing. Volunteers dwindling The number of volunteer fire- fighters has historically made up the
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Prior to the board action allocat- ing funds for staffing, Simonson was looking at data to figure out how to make that move a possibility. “As brick-and-mortar stores were forced to close and people became more comfortable shopping online, it
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