At Starbase, Spacex Is Taking Firefighting Into Its Own Hands

SpaceX is softly opinionated up a unpaid occurrence section to service nan sprawling launch-and-manufacturing Starbase complex, tightening its power complete emergency consequence astatine a tract known for accelerated — and sometimes explosive — rocket development. 

A certificate of formation revenge pinch nan Texas Secretary of State connected June 30 shows nan creation of what’s called nan Starbase Volunteer Fire Department. The nonprofit entity lists its office arsenic 1 Rocket Road successful Brownsville, nan main reside of SpaceX. Two of nan 3 board named connected nan filing are SpaceX employees: Cody Dye, biology wellness and information manager, and Kevin Bagnall, in-house counsel. The certificate is signed by different SpaceX lawyer, Stephen Herndon. 

The filing says nan statement will “aid, beforehand and supply for nan constitution of systems and accommodation for nan proviso of nationalist information education, and occurrence prevention and suppression services.” 

SpaceX has historically handled fires astatine Starbase, which was precocious incorporated arsenic its ain Texas city, pinch a operation of an internal firefighting and emergency consequence squad and thief from section occurrence departments, specified arsenic nan 1 successful adjacent Brownsville. 

It’s unclear what effect nan caller unpaid occurrence section will person connected those outer relationships, and erstwhile asked, Cameron County directed TechCrunch to taxable a nationalist accusation enactment request. At nan clip of publication, Cameron County had not responded to that request.

SpaceX, Brownsville Fire Department, and Starbase metropolis officials did not respond to TechCrunch’s petition for comment.

It’s besides unclear whether nan Starbase Volunteer Fire Department is connected to nan county’s 911-dispatch system. As it is simply a unpaid occurrence department, it is not regulated by nan Texas Commission connected Fire Protection, which is only authorized to modulate section authorities occurrence departments, agency main Mike Wisko said. 

The caller unpaid occurrence section was established conscionable months aft Starbase became an officially incorporated metropolis successful Texas. That has led SpaceX and Starbase metropolis officials – astir of whom are existent aliases erstwhile SpaceX labor – to workout much authority complete nan area of Texas they occupy. The institution municipality announced successful September a woody pinch Cameron County to return partial power of nan beach adjacent nan motorboat complex. Starbase installed gates successful June to control nationalist entree to nan city.

The statement of nan caller unpaid occurrence section coincided pinch nan extremity of a abstracted arrangement: SpaceX’s backing of an emergency occurrence marshal position wrong Cameron County.

During an August 26 commissioners meeting, officials acknowledged SpaceX had been backing a occurrence marshal wrong nan county’s emergency-management office. “There was a position that was being funded done an statement for services pinch SpaceX. That statement … is terminating,” lawman region administrator Xavier Villarreal told commissioners.

He said nan region was successful nan process to proceed backing nan occurrence marshal position pinch a caller partner, liquid earthy state developer NextDecade. 

The duties of a occurrence marshal see reviewing plans and inspecting buildings for fire-safety compliance. SpaceX whitethorn person funded nan position, which Villareal acknowledged was “for inspections” and permits, successful bid to guarantee nan region could support up pinch nan accrued workload arsenic building surged. Villarreal did not respond to emailed requests for comment.

Starbase is now handling fire-code oversight. The metropolis has appointed 2 group from nan aforesaid occurrence scheme reappraisal and building inspection vendor, SAFEbuilt, for nan task. Cliff Nevins has been appointed arsenic occurrence marshal and Wade Cain is simply a building official.

Taken together, nan caller unpaid occurrence section and nan 2 SAFEbuilt appointments propose Starbase has internalized fire-code approvals, utilizing a vendor it appoints while shifting emergency consequence to a company-affiliated organization.

This differs from really nan caller metropolis of Starbase is handling rule enforcement. The institution municipality has arranged a woody pinch Cameron County wherever 2 sheriffs will patrol Starbase per shift. Starbase besides has entree to nan county’s jails for a costs of $100 per inmate per day.

The differing attack has turned astatine slightest 1 section head. In consequence to Starbase terminating nan occurrence marshal backing statement astatine nan August meeting, 1 commissioner responded, “But they can’t prosecute constabulary officers? Interesting.” 

Starbase’s projected fund for fiscal twelvemonth 2026 sets speech conscionable $60,000 for nan unpaid occurrence department, a humble sum compared to nan $1.3 cardinal allocated to nan rule enforcement contracts pinch nan county. The disparity suggests that SpaceX itself whitethorn beryllium footing overmuch of nan measure for instrumentality and different expenses.

The displacement comes arsenic SpaceX continues to grow its motorboat operations astatine Starbase. SpaceX’s rapid-prototyping attack to improvement has led to a number of fires and explosions astatine nan facility. In June, pursuing a trial firing of nan company’s Super Heavy booster, a malfunction triggered a melodramatic fireball that was visible for miles and caused panicked adjacent residents to flood section dispatch pinch calls. No injuries were reported.