SHIRO, Texas (KRHD) — The Shiro Volunteer Fire Department is planning to relocate and build a new station when its current lease expires in 2029.
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The department has land donated to it one mile west of its current home on Highway 30. Chief Dan Sharron said the move is necessary.
"We're going to build a new station there. Uh, this one's old. It has seen its lifetime, and we need to have a building that's more space because we've got vehicles that are not going to fit in this area," Sharron said.
The number of calls the department responds to has doubled over the past 10 years, and officials expect that number to grow even more with SpaceX located nearby.
"We'll do about 120 per year and I can see where that's going to escalate to, you know, much more than that with the contractors coming in," Sharron said.
Assistant Fire Chief Scott Snow said the calls cover a wide range of emergencies.
"And it's 50/50. It could be car crashes or it could be wildfires or even sometimes a medical emergency. They ask us for help," Snow said.
Local landowner Joseph Reznicek said the department is critical to the area and that neighbors support the move.
"Without that station operational, there's a huge gap between the Anderson Fire Department and BDS, and the response times just go way up. So Shiro is, is critical," Reznicek said.
Reznicek said the department means more than just emergency response to the community.
"They're more than essential. They're, they're, they're part of this community here. They're vital," Reznicek said.
The department knows it will need to rely on fundraisers and donations to pay for the new building.
"We've got some money in the bank, but we need to have, uh, a whole lot more," Sharron said.
Snow said the department is still working through some of the details of the construction.
"And we have a lot of good people that want to come help, but we still got to nail down the right contractor to put the building up," Snow said.
The Shiro Volunteer Fire Department is also actively looking for volunteers to serve as firefighters, drivers, office personnel and in other roles.
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