Welcome!
Greater Houston Fire Battalion is a organization of individuals with a common interest in the Fire Department and Fire/EMS activities throughout the Houston area. Membership is $20 paid annually. The group meets every other month, usually on a Saturday. Fire photos and descriptions are emailed out on a regular basis; and the end of year Houston FD Multiple-Alarm Report is also sent to current members.
H.F.D. Multiple-Alarms Slow Way Down in 2011
HFD's 2011 multiple-alarm total of 49 was above the trailing 60-year average of 45, but far below the trailing 10-year average
of 64, and was significantly down from 2010's total of 63. Although many factors can contribute to significant one-year declines,
it has been observed over the past few decades that multiple-alarms in the city tend to slow as the economy slows (despite a
presumption that large fires might increase during economic downturns due to arson).
Not surprisingly, Districts 28 and 68 led the city for multiples, by district, each with 9. These bordering districts in southwest
Houston have long been very busy, and the vast majority of these fires continued to involve older, garden-style apartments, typically
with pitched, common attics. Even a stubborn 4-11 on Richmond on August 26 consumed an entire 28-unit building which appeared to have
a flat roof. Upon closer inspection, though, it was noted the roof was indeed flat, but was actually composed of two roofs, one
installed on top of the other, separated by short wooden trusses which created a narrow common attic space the length of the building,
and which, of course, played havoc with firefighting efforts.
Districts 5 and 83 were tied for third with 6 each and District 4 had 4 multiples. Thus, a large, contiguous section of west Houston
formed by the top 5 multiple-alarm districts (4, 5, 28, 68, and 83) was site of more than two-thirds (34 out of 49) of the city's
multiples. All 34 were in houses, townhomes, or apartments except for one shopping center fire and one high-rise office building
fire. Notably, there were only two high-rise multiples citywide during 2011, down significantly from 10 in 2010.
The tightest "cluster" of multiples in the city was 12 in the "still" districts of just two engines--10 and 60. That cluster even
included both of the year's 4-11s and a third (3) of its 3-11s. The most significant cluster reduction was near downtown. Districts
6, 8, and 19 had only 5 multiples in 2011 compared to 12 in 2010 and 13 in 2009. Clearly, apartment fires on the west side of Houston
were where the action was in 2011.
