The Spring Fire Department (SFD) is a
combination fire department
A combination fire department is a type of fire department which consists of both career and volunteer firefighters. In the United States, combination fire departments are typically tax-supported in some fashion, and generally have an annual call v ...
located north of downtown
Houston, Texas in the northern part of
unincorporated Unincorporated may refer to:
* Unincorporated area, land not governed by a local municipality
* Unincorporated entity, a type of organization
* Unincorporated territories of the United States, territories under U.S. jurisdiction, to which Congress ...
Harris County in the community of
Spring
Spring(s) may refer to:
Common uses
* Spring (season), a season of the year
* Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy
* Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water
* Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a h ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
. On April 1, 2020 Harris County Emergency Services District No. 7 became the direct service provider of fire and rescue services to the 165,000 citizens (2023) who live within the 62 square miles served by the district.
Prior to April 1st of 2020, Spring Volunteer Fire Association, Inc. was contracted by Harris County Emergency Services District No. 7 (HCESD7) to provide Fire and Rescue services from 35,000 citizens in 1980 to approximately 155,000 citizens (2020) that resided within the boundaries of HCESD7.
As a part of the (5) fire departments dispatched by Texas Emergency Communications Center, our department's designation for all units starts with the number 7.
The fire suppression district in which Spring Fire Department serves, has
emergency medical service
Emergency medical services (EMS), also known as ambulance services or paramedic services, are emergency services that provide urgent pre-hospital treatment and stabilisation for serious illness and injuries and transport to definitive care. ...
s that are provided by Harris County ESD No. 11, as the Spring Fire Department has no
ambulances
An ambulance is a medically equipped vehicle which transports patients to treatment facilities, such as hospitals. Typically, out-of-hospital medical care is provided to the patient during the transport.
Ambulances are used to respond to medi ...
. The department does however provide
BLS first responder
A first responder is a person with specialized training who is among the first to arrive and provide assistance or incident resolution at the scene of an emergency, such as an accident, disaster, medical emergency, structure fire, crime, or ...
services on priority medical calls such as cardiac and respiratory problems.
History
The Spring Volunteer Fire Association (SVFA) received its initial charter on May 29, 1953 and started out with seven
volunteer
Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...
members and was called the Spring Volunteer Fire Department (SVFD).
[ The SVFA/SVFD was entirely funded by private donations, including equipment donations from other departments.
In 1983, the members of the department formed Harris County Rural Fire Prevention District #1. This allowed the collection of ad valorem tax up to 3 cents per $100 valuation. In 1997, the members of the department and RFPD #1 had an election to form Harris County Emergency Services District No. 7 (HCESD7). An Emergency Services District can assess an ad valorem tax up to 10 cents per $100 valuation.]
Stations and apparatus
Fire Chiefs
References
{{Texas fire departments
Fire departments in Texas
Harris County, Texas