New Fire Station Opens in West Bexar County
New Fire Station in ESD #7
As reported in the San Antonio Express-News, a new fire station in west Bexar County was opened on Saturday, December 5, 2009. Residents in the area say it will provide some much needed fire protection to the area near the 18000 block of Bandera Road, about 5 miles outside the Helotes city limits.
This is the second station for the Emergency Services District #7. The first is located on Galm Road close to FM 1560.
The fire station will house a new fire engine, tanker, and rescue trucks, and according to Chief Kevin Clarkson, the new resources will help ease the burden of the station on Galm Road.
The area of coverage for this new station will extend from the Helotes city limits on out to 211 and Highway 37, which will significantly cut down on current response times.
The station will be supported mostly by volunteers, but there will be two firefighters on staff 24 hours a day.
When the ESD #7 was approved in 2007, the Helotes Fire Department contracted with the County to continue providing fire protection for residents and businesses in the County outside of Helotes, until they could get their resources purchased/built and in place. The first year, the HFD received in excess of $300,000 from the County. Each year since, as the amount of support required from the HFD lessens, the amount received from the County lowers, and for FY 2010, that amount, as mentioned during the Helotes Council budget discussions, was $125,000 to $150,000.