Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Fire Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Universal City Fire Department outlines Cibolo Creek response, cites improved access and training
Summary
Fire Chief Norris outlined the department’s multi-agency response model for wildland incidents in Cibolo Creek, described automatic-aid agreements and new emergency-access work, and the council asked staff for a follow-up report on the Stumble Creek firebreak.
Universal City’s fire leadership presented the department’s wildfire response plan for the Cibolo Creek corridor during the April 1 council meeting, emphasizing interagency automatic aid, a stepped “alarm” response model and recent improvements to emergency access and trails.
Chief Norris said the department staffs seven personnel per shift and that a typical initial response to creek incidents includes a brush truck, an engine, the ladder truck and the battalion command vehicle. He described automatic-aid agreements that bring brush trucks, engines and EMS units from neighboring agencies for larger or rapidly spreading fires.
Norris described second-alarm and strike-team resources staged by Bexar County during recent regional fires, and he identified one shortfall in local equipment: the city’s brush truck is two-wheel drive, which limits some off-road access. The department has added an all-weather emergency access road at an existing crossing on FM 1518 and uses a UTV equipped with a compressed-air water-delivery system that the chief said can extinguish a vehicle fire with about two gallons of water.
The chief also highlighted training requirements and mutual exercises, including annual wildland refresher training required by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group and upcoming UTV driving-safety courses conducted jointly with neighboring departments. He said trails, clearing and new access points mean the department is "in a lot better place today than we were 10 years ago" for managing fires in the creek.
Council members asked operational questions about hose lengths and apparatus placement; Chief Norris said the department maintains hose lays of various lengths and will advance lines as conditions require when protecting structures. The chief and other staff noted the city’s Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating of 2, which council members described as favorable for residents’ fire insurance costs.
At the end of the presentation the council requested a staff follow-up report on a proposed Stumble Creek firebreak and additional details about ingress and egress for larger apparatus.
No changes to response protocols were adopted at the meeting; the chief described current capabilities, ongoing training and the need to address vehicle and access limitations as part of capital and operational planning.
