User:Jmcfd2/Community Volunteer Fire Department

Community Volunteer Fire Department is a combination fire department which serves approximately 130,000 people over a 25 sqmi area in both unincorporated Harris County, Texas and unincorporated Fort Bend County, Texas. Community VFD responds to more than 6,000 fire, rescue, and emergency medical incidents each year in the areas of Alief, Mission Bend, Katy, and Richmond Texas.

The department relies heavily on its staffed volunteers who protect the area 108 hours out of every week. The balance of the time, paid part-time personnel cover the area the remaining 60 hours. With 12 hour shifts, Community VFD is one of the only Volunteer fire departments in the area who fully staffs all stations with scheduled personnel, 24 hours a day. Community VFD also runs their own Dispatch center staffed with paid Emergency Medical and Fire Dispatchers using a state of the art computer aided dispatch system (CAD).

History
The Community Volunteer Fire Department has a long history serving Houston's Alief area which dates back to the early 1950's. Prior to Alief's incorporation by the City of Houston, the Alief Volunteer Fire Department protected the citizens.

Alief Volunteer Fire Department was created on August 12, 1954 by a charter issued by Texas Secretary of State C.E.Fulgham, under Title 32, Chapters 1 and 9, Texas, R.C.S. 1925. The newly created corporation was to exist, according to the charter for fifty years. It was not for profit and had no capital stock. It did have contributed goods, chattels, and credits of an estimated value of $1500. The original five citizens forming the corporation were Johnny Attaway, Ray Lewis C. D. Garlinger, Ray Hodges and Jane Clough - all of Alief, Texas.

As stipulated in the charter, the area to be served was "that locality in Harris County, Texas, and being an area of two miles radius of the center of Alief, unincorporated village in Harris County, Texas." The Alief Volunteer Fire Department, in time, built and occupied a fire station near the intersection of Alief Clodine Road and Avenue C. in the community well recognized at the time as Alief.

Years past and little changed until the 60's when the expanding population of Harris County sought new homes being developed to the south of Bellaire Blvd. way beyond Highway 59 and Sharpstown Mall. As the new subdivisions located off of Boone Road and Kirkwood began to fill with families, some began taking leadership roles. It was not long before several felt that an additional fire service was needed in the area and began laying plans to achieve that goal.

On April 12, 1971 Mr. George M. Karam filed Articles of Incorporation for the Community Protection Agency, Inc., a non-profit corporation. Article IV identified the purpose for which the corporation was formed - "to provide civic services in the nature of fire protection services, emergency ambulance or rescue services, police protection services, health and welfare services, and related services to the residents of Alief, Harris County, Texas and the immediate surrounding areas which are not provided like services by a municipal or governmental entity." The initial directors consisted of : George M. Karem, Arthur Ammons, and Robert H. Smith. On the same day The Community Protection Agency, Inc. created the Community Volunteer Fire Department to bring additional fire protection to the Alief area.

On June 6, 1971 the newly formed Community Volunteer Fire Department responded to its first fire call on an engine loaned to the department by the City of Houston Fire Department. The loaned fire truck was "stationed" at an Arco Service Station on Bellaire Blvd and Wilcrest Dr. Within weeks, the City of Houston loaned another engine which was housed at the Shell Service Station near the same intersection. Beyond loaning fire trucks, the City of Houston Fire Department was helpful by arranging some firefighter training to the volunteers both within the department's geographic area and at the Houston Fire Training facility near Hobby Airport.

Recognizing the need for a regular fire station, The Community Protection Agency, Inc. launched a door to door fund drive asking residents for a $12.00 per year donation. The initial drive raised nearly $20,000. The Alief Independent School District Board of Education allowed the Community Protection Agency, Inc. to utilize a 150' x 150' tract on land near Boone Road and Bissonnet upon which to build a fire station to serve the community of that area. Construction on the station began Labor Day weekend 1971 and after weeks of night and weekend work, construction was completed on November 28, 1971. On that same day, an open house was held which was attended by a reported host of dignitaries, the Alief High School Band plus firefighters and their families.

On November 17, 1972 the Secretary of State of the State of Texas issued a Certificate of Dissolution of the Alief Volunteer Fire Department. The assets were distributed by outright donation to the Community Protection Agency, Inc. This action resulted in the merger of the Alief Volunteer Fire Department and the Community Volunteer Fire Department.

July 1, 1973 in order to provide additional services, emergency ambulance service was added to the Alief Community Volunteer Fire Department. Ambulance personnel were derived from the existing ranks of the fire department.

The Community Protection Agency, Inc. on April 2, 1985 changed the name of the fire department from the Alief Community Volunteer Fire Department to Community Volunteer Fire Department. It was felt this was more appropriate in since the department was providing an increasing amount of service to the geographic areas well beyond neighborhoods generally considered to be in Alief.

Still dependent on voluntary donations; primarily derived in the form of $3.00 per month appearing on each resident's water bill, the Board of Directors of the Community Protection Agency, Inc. acknowledged the declining pattern of financial contributions necessary to support operations. Call volume was increasing, equipment was aging, income was rapidly declining with less than 50% of those receiving water bills and no businesses were participating in the financial support of the fire department.

Emergency Service District
The Board of Directors of the Community Protection Agency, Inc. recognized the need for a change - one that would assure some dramatically improved form of reliable and predictable form of income. In the spring of 1997 the board acknowledged the desirability of an Emergency Services District as a means to better assure vitally needed revenue to assure continued operations. Several concerned citizens initiated the petition process. A petition containing the signature of 100 qualified signers was necessary from each of the two counties. (A qualified signer was a resident who owned real property and was a registered voter within the proposed district.) Little resistance was encountered during the petition signing process and during public hearings. With a sufficient number of signers qualified, the election was held in August and the initiative passed with strong voter support. It might be concluded that the residents expressed strong confidence in the volunteer fire department and decided to assure its continuance.

Subsequently, the initial Board of Directors of Harris Fort Bend County ESD No. 100 was elected by those residing in the district and in April, 1998 the Harris Fort Bend County ESD No.100 entered into contract with Community Protection Agency, Inc. for fire suppression, rescue, and emergency medical services to its area. Significant capital improvements were made possible due to the dramatic improvement in financial support. The population of the area protected has grown consistently in during the years since the formation of the ESD and improvement is has kept pace with increase demand for services.

Training
recruit, sffma, tcfp

MEDICS Community VFD operates a Paramedic responder program which These two First Responder vehicles are staffed with senior ALS providers, typically paramedics and/or EMS officers. The goal with these vehicles is to get ALS to a medical emergency as quickly as possible and to intercept with BLS crews as needed. The Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptors are equipped with Life Pak monitor/defibrillators or AED's, and carry a fully equipped ALS jump bag and again a variety of oxygen delivery devices. While not transport units, these units can provide life-sustaining care until the ambulance’s arrival on scene.

Fire Stations, & Apparatus
Deputy Chief of Suppression, Commander:

Fire Station 1 - 16003 Bellaire Blvd. Houston Tx 77083
 * Engine 1, Booster 1, Squad 1, Medic 1, Heavy Rescue 1, Ladder 1, Ambulance 1, Ambulance 5

Fire Station 2 - 13802 Canyon Hill Dr. Houston Tx 77083
 * Engine 2, Ambulance 2, Squad 2
 * Tower 2 ordered with delivery in early 2012

Fire Station 3 - 20304 F.M. 1093. Katy Tx. 77494
 * Engine 3, Tower 3, Ambulance 3, Medic 3, Booster 3

Fire Station 4 - Proposed

Training Center - 15103 Alief-Clodine Rd. Houston Tx. 77083
 * Engine 4

Old Station 2 - 4101 C. St. Houston Tx. 77072
 * Currently houses reserve apparatus.