Klein Fire Department responded to 2,850 emergency calls in the first six months of 2026 across its 49-square-mile district, according to a mid-year performance report published Aug. 10.
The numbers land as the Harris County ESD 16 board prepares to hold a public hearing Friday, Aug. 14, on a proposed tax rate of $0.08 per $100 of property valuation, up 60% from the current $0.05 rate. If adopted, the average Klein-area homestead would owe $242.46 in ESD 16 taxes this year, an increase of $91.78 over 2025.
What the report shows
Personnel logged 18,738 training hours between January and June. Exercises ranged from active-shooter drills with Spring ISD and lockdown drills with Tomball ISD to trench rescue operations, boat operations and walk-throughs of MD Anderson's new imaging center, which we covered Tuesday.
Average response time held at 5 minutes and 50 seconds, split between a 1-minute, 6-second turnout and a 4-minute, 43-second travel time.
Engine 33 was the department's busiest apparatus.
The department's cadet pipeline grew: 12 volunteer cadets are currently in training in the 2026-01 Fire Academy class, and five cadets from the previous class graduated during the period.
On the community side, Klein Fire reached 21,307 residents through open houses, school visits and safety presentations. Crews installed or replaced 64 smoke and carbon monoxide detectors through the Smoke Alarm Assistance Program and trained 110 people in CPR, fire extinguisher use and life-safety courses.
Tax rate context
Klein-area voters approved raising the ESD 16 tax rate cap from $0.05 to $0.10 per $100 in a May 2 special election, passing 706–534. The measure had failed in 2025.
"This measure is not about immediate change. It is about long-term planning and making sure we can responsibly meet the needs of a growing community over time," board president Lance Wilson said in a May 3 letter to the community after the vote.
Approval of the cap did not automatically raise the rate. The board voted 4-0 to propose the $0.08 rate, which would push the district's total levy from $10.4 million to $16.8 million. Because $0.08 exceeds the voter-approval rate of roughly $0.06, a ratification election is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 3.
What's next
The public hearing and board vote on the proposed rate take place at 9 a.m. Friday, Aug. 14, at Klein Fire headquarters, 18606 Stuebner Airline Road in Spring. Residents can attend to comment before the board acts.
