Flower Mound to Break Ground on New Fire Station
by Jaz’man Hampton
The town of Flower Mound anticipates breaking ground on Fire Station №7 Friday, Feb. 15.
Approval for the new fire station was granted during a Flower Mound Town Council meeting on Jan. 7. An arrangement was made with Schmoldt Construction Inc. to construct the fire station for $4.5 million.
“We expect to open the station in the spring of 2020,” said Brandon Barth, Emergency Management Officer.
The station will also include lake operations along with water and flood rescue cross-trained firefighters and paramedics. The fire department will also add a boat team to its brand-new facility. Fire department boat teams are equipped for surface and swift water rescue, boat based search and rescue operations.
“The Flower Mound Fire Department already has operations on Grapevine Lake with our fire boat housed at Twin Coves Marina,” Barth said. “We anticipate building a boathouse for the fire-boat. Station 7 will also operate our Swift-water assets as well.”
Fire Station №7 will be 9,300-square-foot and located at 2777 Skillern Road.
Twin Coves Park stands within a five-minute drive from the new station. Twin Coves Park is home to a campground on the north shore of Lake Grapevine.
“This station’s location will provide quicker response times to Twin Coves Park,’ Barth said.
Town officials became aware of a continuous gap in response times in the Skillern Road area of Flower Mound. The Fire and Emergency Services response time standard is to arrive on the scene and begin operations within 4 to 6 minutes of a call. Flower Mound response time studies validate the need for the extra fire station.
Skillern Road is currently undergoing construction to widen the once, one-lane road, to two-lanes. The construction on Skillern Road will be complete before the opening of the new fire station, though there isn’t an official date for its completion.
The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) 2018 population estimates show that Flower Mound grew nearly 2% since 2017.
“The growth in the area can be generally attributed to job growth and the economy,” Senior Environment and Development Planner of NCTCOG, Carolyn Horner said.
Flower Mound Fire Department will increase staffing and hire additional firefighters while construction is underway. Bring more job opportunities to the area and adding to the already growing town and economy.
“Station 7 will house a paramedic engine company that will respond to fire and EMS calls within their response district,” Barth said.
Sources: Bradon Barth:
