The Brief
- The Panther Branch “growth fault” caused the old station’s floors to tilt and its walls to crack, requiring firefighters to shave down concrete just to open interior doors.
- The $12 million project was funded by The Woodlands Township and the Montgomery County Hospital District to avoid “throwing good money after bad” on a building that could not be permanently fixed.
- Beyond fixing the foundation issues, the move to the new location has already decreased emergency response times by providing better access to major intersections like Woodlands Parkway.
THE WOODLANDS, Texas – For nearly two decades, the firefighters at The Woodlands Fire Station 5 were fighting a battle that had nothing to do with flames. They were fighting the ground beneath their feet.
Fighting the ground beneath their feet
The backstory:
On January 31, local officials and first responders showcased the brand-new, $12 million Fire Station 5 on McBeth Way, a facility born out of necessity after the previous station was quite literally torn apart by a geological phenomenon known as a “growth fault.”
“We were actually having to shave down the floor, so doors would open,” said Woodlands Fire Chief Palmer Buck. “The rolling overhead doors were starting to have problems and get off-kilter because you could see where the station was shifting.”…