Harris County Emergency Service District #16 News

North Harris County, Texas – Five independent Emergency Services Districts (ESDs) join forces to build a new Emergency Dispatch Center for fire response and emergency rescue calls. The new Texas Emergency Communications Center (TECC) will be the Public Safety Secondary Answering Point (SSAP) for five ESDs that serve nearly half a million people and multiple Fortune 100 businesses in North Harris County. 

ExxonMobil, Hewlett Packard, Chevron, and Amazon have made major commitments in the area over the last decade. More commercial and residential development has naturally followed. Amid this evolution, the separation of Cypress Creek Emergency Medical Services (CCEMS) from Harris County ESD No. 11 left other ESDs in a difficult position over 9-1-1 dispatch services. Each ESD came to the same conclusion, that the CCEMS and ESD 11 separation simply highlighted the need to develop an Emergency Fire Dispatch center for ever-evolving North Harris County. 

As of February 1, 2021, the Harris County Emergency Services District 16 (HCESD 16) has provided funding to Klein Fire Department for the fire station located at T. C. Jester and Spring Cypress to be staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  With the addition of this staffed station, the district now has 6 stations that are staffed 24/7 to assist the residents within the community.

In April, the Harris County Emergency Services District 16 (HCESD 16) Board of Commissioners unanimously voted to approve the District’s homestead tax exemptions.

The Board provided three different categories of tax exemptions for the 2020 taxable period to residents residing within the District. HCESD 16 granted (1) a ten percent (10%) residential homestead exemption; (2) an additional $80,000 residential exemption for people who are 65 years old or older (and qualify for the exemption) as determined by the appraisal District and (3) a $50,000 exemption per year on homes that qualify for a disability exemption.

Harris County Emergency Services District No. 16 (“OWNER”) is seeking responses to its Request for Proposals to provide Landscaping Services for the District’s fire stations and other properties. Sealed bids MUST BE SUBMITTED TO the Administrative Office of ESD 16 located at 8681 Louetta, Suite 250, Klein, Texas 77379 NO LATER THAN 2:00 P.M., ON JUNE 5, 2020 (“Submittal Deadline”) at which time the bids will be opened and read aloud.  Any proposals received after the closing time will be returned unopened.

Information about the requirements for the landscaping services as well as the locations needing maintenance can be obtained through the District’s website at http://www.hcesd16.org/images/pdf-files/2020/Lawncare-RFP/ESD_16_Landscaping_RFP_Final.pdf

In order to reduce the impact property taxes have on disabled and retired residents residing within the boundaries of the District, the Harris County Emergency Services District 16 (HCESD 16) Board of Commissioners has renewed and increased the District’s homestead tax exemptions.

The Board voted unanimously in May to authorize the tax exemptions for the 2019 taxable period. Residents over 65 years of age will receive a Homestead exemption of ten percent (10%) and a reduction of their appraised taxable property value of $80,000. Meanwhile, disabled residents will receive an exemption of ten percent (10%) with a reduction in their taxable property value of $50,000.

The old adage says an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and when it comes to firefighting being proactive can save lives. The Klein Volunteer Fire Department and Harris County Emergency Services District 16 will be holding a smoke alarm blitz on Saturday, November 16 in the Pinewood Place subdivision near The Grand Parkway and FM 2920. 

The smoke alarm blitz is a proactive measure to ensure that residents in the subdivision have their smoke alarms inspected and replaced at no cost to the resident or homeowner, if necessary. Generally, smoke alarms should be replaced once every ten years. The smoke alarm blitz helps ensure that residents who have not thought to check the expiration dates on their smoke alarms have them checked and replaced. This service, provided by firefighters at no cost to residents, helps to ensure that community members’ alarms are up-to-date.

Harris County Emergency Services District 16 and the Klein Volunteer Fire Department are proud of their continuous improvement efforts which recently led to an improved Insurance Services Office rating of 2 in areas of the District with fire hydrants. This rating is the second-highest awarded by the ISO and puts the Department in the top 7 percent of firefighting organizations in Texas.

HCESD 16/Klein VFD announced in March that the Department had received the rating, and the video below expands on why that award was given and the Department’s assets.

The Klein Volunteer Fire Department will soon be operating out of a brand-new station at the intersection of Old Louetta Road and Landry Boulevard. The new station will be a serious upgrade to the aged, outdated station that was previously there said the station’s Senior Captain Matt Pentifallo.

The new station will be a pull-through station, allowing trucks to enter from the back of the station and exit the front, Pentifallo said. This will help alleviate traffic congestion near the busy intersection. Safety equipment such as upright bi-fold doors and ventilation systems will help keep exhaust fumes from accumulating in the firetruck bays, keeping firefighters safe. 

Harris County Emergency Services District 16 and the Klein Volunteer Fire Department know that the children’s safety is a top concern for our residents. Children taken care of by babysitters or home alone are safer when armed with the right knowledge, which is why Klein VFD offers Safe at Home and Safe Sitter courses at no cost to the community.

The two courses, which focus on safe practices for children at home or babysitting in the community, help participants learn a variety of skills from safe kitchen practices to basic first aid. Registration for both classes is required in advance and classes fill quickly.

The Klein Volunteer Fire Department and Harris County Emergency Services District 16 invites the public to join us at Klein High School on Sunday, June 23 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for a free community safety day. Fire, EMS and police officers will be on hand to speak with the public and answer questions regarding community safety.

This family-friendly event will include a dunk tank, face painting, inflatable safety house and safety information to help families gear up for a fun and safe summer. Children and adults can check out fire trucks on hand and get information about safety programs offered by the Fire Department. Safety information will include safe use of fireworks, maintaining smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and more. Live entertainment and free food and drinks will also be available at the event.

KLEIN, JUNE 6, 2019 - The Klein Volunteer Fire Department and Harris County Emergency Services District 16 are happy to announce that they will be hosting annual American Radio Relay League (ARRL) and Northwest Amateur Radio Society (NARS) field day on June 22.

The focus of the event is to introduce area residents to ham radio operations as a hobby or during emergencies when radio communications can be highly effective in helping to keep people safe.

In August 2018, HCESD 16 was awarded a rating of ISO Class 2 by the Texas Department of Insurance and the State Fire Marshal’s Office. From the letter linked above:

“You are among the select few to achieve a class 2 rating in Texas. The community has achieved one of the highest Public Protection Classification ratings awarded by the Insurance Services Office and approved by the Texas Department of Insurance and are among the nation’s best.”

The Public Protection Classification (PPC) is the countrywide classification system used by the Insurance Services Office (ISO) to grade a community's local fire protection. This grade is then used to set property insurance rates. The public fire protection of a city, town, or area is graded using ISO's Fire Suppression Rating Schedule to develop the community's classification.

Harris County Emergency Services District No. 16 (ESD 16) has taken the first steps in upgrading the local traffic signal light preemption system in the North Harris County area to the latest Opticom™ GPS System. This project is being undertaken in conjunction with neighboring emergency services districts that have contracted with Global Traffic Technologies (GTT) to provide the upgrade to the traffic signals in the region.

ESD 16 has initiated this project to provide a safer environment for the greater Klein and North Harris County community.

Firehouse Magazine has announced the winners of its fifth annual Station Design Awards program, which recognizes outstanding architecture and design from fire departments nationwide.

Harris County Emergency Services District No. 16 (HCESD 16) was among the few districts awarded this year with the prestigious award. The district was awarded the Bronze Award in the Volunteer/Combination Station category for Klein Fire Station No. 8, servicing Klein, TX. The architects who designed and constructed the station were  Brown Reynolds Watford Architects from College Station, TX.

From Firehouse Magazine’s own article regarding the awards this year:

During the November regular meeting, the Board of Commissioners for Harris County Emergency Services District No. 16 (HCESD 16) approved moving forward with an Agency Evaluation and Staffing Assessment, performed by Emergency Services Consulting International (ESCi).

This multi-phased initiative would review agency performance, with an emphasis on staffing performance. The goal is to take a “snapshot” of current staffing, service demand, and overall organization, analyze and assess the “big picture” that is HCESD 16 and its contracted services, and then draft a report for the district Board of Commissioners with conclusions and recommendations for future demand and growth of the community.

During the September 10th regular meeting, the HCESD 16 Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to replace the two 2003 reserve trucks with new Pierce Velocity pumper trucks.

The Board felt that the aging fleet would need a succession and replacement plan that would allow for necessary upgrades without incurring additional debt. This step is part of an eight-year plan to upgrade and renew the equipment with no increase in debts.

At the September 10th regular meeting, the HCESD 16 Board of Commissioners unanimously voted to bring on BRW Architects for the remodel of Klein VFD Station #6.

This choice came as part of an initiative to refresh the department facilities by adding dorms and living quarters to each of the stations, thus better allowing for staffing and training firefighters.

Harris County ESD No. 16 commissioners unaimously approved to extend its current property tax exemptions.  The current exemptions are 10% for homes with a homestead exemption; $20,000 per year for homeowners who are over 65 years old or disabled; and $20,000 per year for homeowners who qualify as a dsiabled person.  The exemptions were first approved in 2016.

At a Special Meeting of Harris County ESD No. 16, held on February 5, 2018,  Commissioners voted unanimously to appoint Rich Jones to the board.  He will fill the vacancy left by Robert Farrell who resigned from the position on January 31, 2018.