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Lubbock opens Fire Station 20, names it the Lieutenant Eric Hill Memorial Station
Summary
City officials and Lubbock Fire Rescue on Saturday dedicated a new 15,483-square-foot Fire Station 20 in South Lubbock, naming it for Lieutenant Eric Hill, who died in the line of duty on Jan. 11, 2020. Officials said the station will expand coverage, house a new engine and training space, and includes a certified storm shelter.
Lubbock city leaders and fire department officials formally opened Fire Station 20 in South Lubbock on Saturday, dedicating the facility as the Lieutenant Eric Hill Memorial Station and placing Engine 20 into service.
The dedication recognizes Lieutenant Eric Hill, who “was a dedicated member of the Lubbock Fire Rescue, and he made that ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty,” Assistant Chief Nick Wilson said in the ceremony. Hill was struck and killed while responding to multiple vehicle accidents on Jan. 11, 2020; the crash also killed Lubbock Police Officer Nicholas Reyna and critically injured firefighter Matt Dawson, who later died of his injuries, Wilson said.
The new 15,483-square-foot station is designed to house 30 personnel across three shifts, includes a certified storm shelter and a meeting/training room that the department says will serve as a satellite training campus for south-side stations. Officials said the station was completed with zero change orders and incorporates four-fold apparatus bay doors—the first station in the department to do so.
Mayor McPrayer described the station as “a promise to the citizens of Lubbock that where there's a need ... help will be close by, ready and fully equipped to meet that need.” Councilman Braden Rose, whose district includes the station, called the facility “absolutely beautiful” and said it will “increase safety in District 4.”
Assistant Chief Rob Kanest said the project began after council discussion and credited Councilwoman Latrell Joy with first raising the need for the station. Kanest also identified the project design and construction team by name: lead architects Doug Egney and Don Greer with Brinkley Sergeant Wigginton; local architect OJ Barbie with Chapman Harvey; general contractor Lee Lewis; project manager Braxton Arnold; and superintendent Jimmy Thompson.
A tour of the facility during the event highlighted living quarters broken into three-shift accommodations, a day room, kitchen and locker rooms, a fitness room, PPE and wildland-crew storage, and the apparatus bay. Department staff said the station will initially house five personnel with capacity to hold up to 10 in the future, and that Station 20 and Stations 16 and 19 are expected to serve newly annexed Highland Oaks and other south-side growth as the city expands.
The department also displayed Engine 20, painted in a red-and-black scheme the department said aligns with the city’s new color direction. Officials noted Station 20 will host a wildland crew that participates in the Texas Interstate Fire Mutual Aid System (TFMAS).
Ceremony elements included an honor guard, pipes and drums, a ribbon cutting, and a formal ringing of the station into service using department signal traditions. Attendees were invited to tour the facility and meet station personnel after formal remarks.
No formal council vote was recorded during the ceremony; the dedication and naming were presented as a ceremonial action by city and department officials and the family of Lieutenant Hill.
