Marble Falls eyes spot near hospital for second fire station
Marble Falls Fire Rescue hopes to build a second station near Baylor Scott & White Hospital and Thunder Rock off of Texas 71. Screen-captured image
Marble Falls Fire Rescue officials are considering building a second fire station on a 2-acre, city-owned property near Baylor Scott & White Hospital and the Thunder Rock subdivision off of Texas 71.
The department unveiled its plan during its annual presentation to the Marble Falls City Council on Tuesday, June 18.
“It gives us great access to U.S. 281 and (state highway) 71,” Fire Chief Tommy Crane said. “Our response times will come down tremendously.”
The announcement put an end to discussions to build the station at Legacy Crossing, a master-planned subdivision going in at the southeast corner of Texas 71 and U.S. 281.
“Our original site didn’t work out,” Crane said.
Marble Falls Fire Rescue needs an additional station as service calls have increased by 20 percent over last year.
“If we keep on this pace, we’re going to have about 400 more calls this year than we did last year,” said Crane, noting the department serviced 2,118 calls in 2023.
Overlapping calls—when MFFR has more than one call going on at the same time—are on the rise.
“It’s getting a little worrisome as we go forward because we’re seeing three calls (as opposed to normally two calls) coming in,” Crane said. “We’re having to initialize (volunteer firefighting agencies) or even Horseshoe Bay to take a call for us. That just comes with growth.”
That growth in south Marble Falls has impacted the department’s response times.
“We’re having to go south on a lot of calls,” Crane said. The fire rescue’s lone station is located in central Marble Falls at 700 Avenue N.
The chief said a second station on the south side of town would solve the bulk of these issues.
“As (the department) grows, a lot of these numbers should come down,” Crane said.
Marble Falls Fire Rescue is currently awaiting a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant to fund salaries for three more firefighters for the future station.
“If we get that grant, it will be very beneficial for the city,” Crane said.
Another item on the department’s wishlist is a new ladder truck.
Crane thanked councilors on Tuesday for approving $3 million worth of renovations to the department’s existing station in February. Those renovations are currently underway.
“I can’t wait to see the finished product,” the chief said. “It’s going to be beautiful.”