By Nicole Lessin
San Antonio Express-News (Texas)
Copyright 2006 San Antonio Express-News
All Rights Reserved
SHAVANO PARK, Texas — The City Council has taken several steps to expand firefighting capabilities in this rapidly growing suburban city.
After two years of work on the project by Fire Chief John Surber, the City Council unanimously approved an automatic aid agreement with Hollywood Park. The council approved an identical agreement with Castle Hills in March.
“I’d like to go on record and say there is no downside to this,” Alderman Lee Powers said at the regular meeting Sept. 19. "(It’s necessary) for the health and prosperity of this city.”
Surber said the agreements will require both of those cities to provide a truck with two firefighters for each first-alarm fire. He said the advantage of such an agreement is that it allows smaller departments to leverage resources, including sharing expensive and unique equipment.
That is a boon to the Shavano Park department, which does not own a ladder truck as do Hollywood Park and Castle Hills, he said.
Since Castle Hills is on the same radio system, the automatic aid agreement also streamlines the city’s dispatch capability, Surber said.
What’s more, he said, the agreements will help the city with its Insurance Services Offices grading, and that will aid property owners with their insurance costs in the future.
But most importantly, the agreement will help the department fight fires more effectively and safely, he said.
“It’s really a step forward for the city,” he said.
Surber said the city also hopes to enter into a mutual-aid agreement with Leon Valley for large fires or any kind of mass-casualty situation.
Meanwhile, in related business, the City Council unanimously approved a $2.3 million budget for the 2007 fiscal year that will add three firefighters to the 11 already in the department, among other changes.
Shavano Park Mayor David Marne said the additional personnel will bring the city up to state regulations, which require two firefighters outside of a burning structure for every two firefighters who are allowed to go in.
The budget also calls for an upgrade to one of the department’s fire engines to add a compressed air foam-system capability, which also will benefit Hollywood Park and Castle Hills because they don’t have one, Surber said. The budget also calls for increased pay for paramedics and provides money for the purchase of a new ambulance. The Police Department also will get an additional police officer.
The effective tax rate will decrease from 34.3 cents per $100 valuation to 33.5 cents.
In other business, the City Council unanimously approved a resolution supporting the extension of VIA Metropolitan Transit service on Northwest Military Highway to include the portion from De Zavala Road to Loop 1604.