Harris County Emergency Services District Number 48’s Fire Department was designated by the Texas Commission on Fire Protection as a certified training facility for structure firefighters. The certification is the result of the department establishing a training facility at one of its new stations, according to a press release.

The facility will be housed at the future Fire Station 6 property, located at 3506 Porter Rd. The training allows individuals to take a state certification course usually found at colleges or larger fire departments. HCESD 48 is the only state certification academy found in the Katy area.

“The District thanks the Command Staff, ESD Board Commissioners, and the citizens and taxpayers of the area for making this new facility possible,” the press release read. “It will increase safety for our members, it will bring our members and neighboring departments more opportunities to train together and become more efficient and effective in our responses to emergencies, and it will provide for greater opportunities for growth and development of those who utilize it here on a local level.”

According to Jason Tharp, HCESD 48 Fire Department division chief of community risk reduction, the construction of the new facility has currently cost “just under $12,500.” The facility is currently made up of five Conex boxes, two of which were donated and the other three bought used. The structure is simple enough to meet requirements set by the Texas Commission on Fire Protection until plans for Fire Station 6 and a fixed state-of-the-art training center is built, said Tharp.

Those projects are expected to last three to five years out. All state testing certifications are currently being held at the district’s administration building every month. Once a permanent facility is built, those certifications will be moved there, Tharp said.

Completing Phase 1 of the training facility buildout allows HCESD 48 members and neighboring departments to conduct various types of hands-on trainings including but not limited to search and rescue, ladder training, roof ventilation and hand tool use.

In addition to state structure certification, the District offers other certification courses such as Basic Wildland Firefighting; Driver Operator Pumper and/or Aerial, Fire and Life Safety Educator 1 and 2; Fire Instructor 1,2 and 3; Incident Safety Officer; and Fire Officer 1, 2, 3 and 4. The District also offers online certification courses for Fire Inspector or Plan Examiner 1 in addition to Driver, Instructor and Fire Officer certifications.