Welcome to HCESD 48
Serving Western Harris CountyMy name is Russell Solomon and I am on the Board of Directors for Harris County Emergency Services District No. 48. Thank you for visiting our website. We have worked hard to provide information we hope you will find informative and easy to understand.
HCESD 48 has a board of directors comprised of five commissioners, all who live within the district and are elected by popular vote. It is our job, using funding generated by taxes (a combination of residential property and commercial sales tax), to provide the district with fire and ems service. This is a task we readily embrace and deeply care about. The fire and ems services provided by HCESD 48 are exemplary, and I am proud of the quality level of service provided for those who live and work in our district.
Please take your time to go through our website. If there is information you are looking for but cannot find, feel free to contact us. Our fire department offers a wide array of services available to our residents and we encourage you to take advantage of as many as possible.
Your Neighbor,
Russell Solomon
Commissioner Harris County Emergency Services District No. 48
Secretary of the Board of Directors
Communities We Serve
HCESD 48 serves two communities:
- The people who live, work, and play in western Harris County
- The men and women who work and serve at HCESD 48
We strive to serve these two communities by being professional, open, and inclusive. We welcome ideas for continuous improvement.
We value the sharing of knowledge. Knowledge enables the public to thrive in a safe environment and gives our employees the opportunity to grow within their careers.
Experience You Can Trust
Service Provision
HCESD 48 is an effective, sustainable, organized system designed to better serve the emergency needs of our rapidly growing community.
Career Benefits
HCESD 48 offers improved incentives for paid and volunteer first responders, which provides increased opportunity for growth.
Experienced Leadership
Sam Henderson President and Commissioner of the District, and George McAteer, Fire Chief of the department, bring many years of leadership experience to serve our team.
Fiscal Oversight
Improved District management of resource allocations and taxpayer funds creates responsible fiscal stewardship community members can trust.
Our Integrity Drives Us
Integrity is the result of honesty, trustworthiness, reliability, and accountability. Public trust is crucial in order for us to do our job.
Community members must trust us with their personal property, safety, privacy, and lives. Emergency medical responders and firefighters rely on each other.
For our team to function optimally, each member must also trust everyone on their crew to deliver excellence at all times.
Coverage Area
Our response area spans 29.54 square miles across the western portion of unincorporated Harris County. The general boundaries are Katy-Fort Bend Road to the west, Clay Road to the north, Westheimer Parkway to the south, and Barker Road to the east.
We are responsible for portions of Interstate 10 and the Grand Parkway, creeks to the north and south of I-10, multiple mid-rise buildings, approximately 150,000 residents in subdivisions, numerous apartment complexes, more than 20 Katy I.S.D schools (elementary through high school), and many commercial businesses of all sizes.
We provide service from four fire stations strategically placed throughout the territory we serve.
ISO CLASS 2 RATING
The Insurance Services Office, Inc. (ISO) provides information about risk for the property & casualty insurance industry.
ISO is used by insurance companies to evaluate fire departments for the purpose of establishing insurance premiums. In states using ISO; Fire Alarm, Fire Department, and Water Supply are measured in the Fire Suppression Rating Schedule (FSRS).
This schedule reviews the major elements of a community’s fire-suppression system and develops a numerical grading called a Public Protection Classification (PPC). Within this grading there are 10 classifications, which define different levels of public fire suppression capabilities. A classification of 1 is the best and a classification of 10 would be the worst.
In obtaining an ISO Classification, the grading is broken down into three major categories:
1. Receiving and Handling of Fire Alarms: 10% = 10 points
2. Fire Department: 50% = 50 points
3. Water Supply: 40% = 40 points