As the state of Texas continues to shatter growth records, local agencies like first responders are doing what they can to keep up with demand.
The Fort Worth Fire Department is one of many agencies in North Texas that are taking critical steps to keep pace with the rising demand for emergency services. On Tuesday, city officials broke ground on two new fire stations that will replace aging and undersized facilities that have struggled to meet the needs of Fort Worth’s rapidly growing population.
The city’s growth has placed immense pressure on first responders, particularly in areas like the Alliance Corridor, one of the fastest-growing regions in the country.
One of the new firehouses will replace Fire Station 37 in the Alliance/North Fort Worth area, originally built nearly 30 years ago as a temporary facility.
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“This is a growing area of our city,” said Fort Worth Fire Chief Jim Davis. “What we're seeing is 50 people a day moving into the Fort Worth community. Just my short time here, we've gone from the 15th largest city to the 11th, and the 12th now – and this part of North Fort Worth is just continuing to expand.”
The second new facility will replace Fire Station 26 on Hulen Street in South Fort Worth, which was built in 1968 and is among the older buildings that is no longer sufficient to house modern firefighting staff or equipment.
Both projects, costing around $9 million each, are funded in part through bond money approved by voters over the years.
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According to new data from the Texas Demographic Center, North Texas is now the most populated region in the state, home to 8.3 million residents. Since 2020, the area has gained over 500,000 new residents, with a significant portion of that growth happening in Fort Worth. The city has officially surpassed Austin to become the fourth most populous city in Texas, leading the state’s major cities in population growth.
To address these challenges, Fort Worth is building fire stations with larger capacities to accommodate more firefighters and new technologies to improve emergency response.
“We’ve got to prepare for what’s coming,” said Craig Trojacek of the Fort Worth Fire Department. “We know what’s already here, but with all the growth and stuff that’s moving forward and all the changes that are coming to our department, if we’re not building for that right now, by the time it gets here, we’re already going to be behind the curve.”
The upgraded stations will feature modern technology to improve response times, additional bays to house emergency vehicles, and improved health and safety systems. New ventilation and decontamination systems are designed to protect firefighter health and reduce cancer risks. The city has already begun retrofitting existing fire stations with similar technology and updated safety protocols.
"We've already been updating some of these other stations and implementing some new policies and procedures, as we found out through the data that some of this stuff is affecting our people. So we've been trying to take a very proactive approach,” said Trojacek.
The two new fire stations are expected to be operational by the summer of 2026. City officials are also considering additional upgrades and possible expansion in the coming years to ensure Fort Worth’s fire services can keep pace with the city’s continued growth.
"It's about giving the folks that respond to the day-to-day needs of the community a place to call home and to be grateful for that the taxpayers have invested in them,” said Chief Davis. “Because the taxpayers ask a lot of our community, they ask a lot of our firefighters, but they also give a lot to our firefighters. This is an example of that. Our folks are here 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This is a facility that's going to be built to withstand those challenges of a 24-hour day operational mission."
