Construction soon for Wimberley fire expansion

A quick blink and the town and the area has expanded rapidly. With the influx of families, the need for fire fighting readiness and response grows. Wimberley’s Volunteer Fire Department became Wimberley Fire and Rescue. Although they still have volunteers they also have some full time staff. Being ready 24/7 means full time staff 24/7. Having facilities to operate is crucial to the valley and beyond.

Thus, major expansion is due, and the now tight quarters of the Wimberley Fire House will soon be a thing of the past. With some firefighters on site 24/7, the two-to-a-room, bunk-beds stays, will be replaced by a private room with a single bed in four rooms and three baths. More than one person will be able to be in the kitchen at one time, a nice big media room to relax will be a welcome addition. Also there’ll be an exercise room; a real need to keep firefighters in top physical condition.

“This is the first major project that we’ve done in 26 years. And that’s to provide our firefighters with appropriate housing,” Ron Spangenberg, President of the Hays County Emergency Services District no. 4.

The math is simple, the need for more firefighters means there is a need for more space to house the firefighters.

“This building was never built for living. It was built for office space... We put bunk beds down here... Especially with COVID, we’ve just got to expand,” Wimberley Fire Chief Carroll Czichos said. The fire department has six members living on site, 48 hours on and 96 hours off, with two of the members living at the station full time on a rotating basis.

“On October 1, we’re increasing our full time staffing to three people per day, and then augmenting a fourth member with our part time staff 24 hours a day. The reason why we’re going to that format of staffing is that there’s a governing entity... And they state what the minimum standard for firefighters on an engine company should be,” Assistant WFR Chief Christopher Robbins said.

“The reason why, it’s because some of the operations that we do on the ground require a certain set of standards that fall into place… Those standards are, if we’re doing an offensive attack, which means that we go inside the structure fire, we attack it head on. That requires that two people be on the inside, with a minimum of two people on the outside. That way, if an individual goes down, where they find a victim, or anything or rapid intervention is needed, those guys can immediately help with that response.”

Funds from the project are provided by the Hays County Emergency Services District no. 4. “As a governmental entity, we function differently than the Wimberley VFD with different expectations and guidelines,” Spangenberg said. “We fall within the tight state statutes. One of the things that districts are much prized for is that we don’t waste money. For years, we were the lowest taxing entity.”

The WFR receives about 800 calls a year, expected to continue growing over the next few years.

The old building will remain and get a facelift and a new facade to match the new part. Neel Morton, the architectectural firm who designed the new Wimberley EMS building, also designed the remodel for the fire station. G Creek Construction will be the contractor. Groundbreaking for the new addition is scheduled to happen on September 28 at 9:30 a.m.