SpaceX has quietly launched a volunteer fire department to service its vast Starbase launch and manufacturing complex, tightening its control over emergency response at a site known for rapid and sometimes explosive rocket development.
A certificate of formation filed June 30 with the Texas Secretary of State shows the creation of the so-called “Starbase Volunteer Fire Department.” The nonprofit lists its headquarters at 1 Rocket Road in Brownsville, SpaceX’s primary address. Two of the three directors named in the filing are SpaceX employees: Cody Dye, environmental health and safety manager, and Kevin Bagnall, internal counsel. The certificate was signed by another SpaceX attorney, Stephen Herndon.
The application states that the organization will “support, facilitate and provide the establishment of systems and facilities for the provision of public safety education, fire protection and fire suppression services.”
SpaceX has previously used a combination of internal fire and emergency response teams and assistance from local fire departments, including nearby Brownsville, to fight the fire at Starbase, which recently incorporated as its own Texas city.
It’s unclear how the new volunteer fire department will affect those external relationships, and in response to questions, Cameron County directed TechCrunch to file a Freedom of Information Act request. As of this article’s publication, Cameron County had not responded to that request.
SpaceX, the Brownsville Fire Department, and Starbase city officials did not respond to TechCrunch’s requests for comment.
It’s also unclear whether the Starbase Volunteer Fire Department is connected to the county’s 911 dispatch system. Because the department is a volunteer fire department, it is not regulated by the Texas Fire Protection Commission, which only has the authority to regulate municipal fire departments, said Mike Wisko, the agency’s chief.
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The new volunteer fire department was established just months after Starbase was officially incorporated in the state of Texas. This has given SpaceX and Starbase city officials, most of them current or former SpaceX employees, greater control over the part of Texas they occupy. In September, the corporate city announced an agreement with Cameron County to gain partial control of the beach near the launch facility. Starbase installed gates to control public access to the city in June.
The creation of the new volunteer fire department coincides with the closing of another arrangement in which SpaceX provided funding for emergency fire marshal positions within Cameron County.
At an Aug. 26 commission meeting, officials acknowledged that SpaceX was funding firefighters within the county’s emergency management office. “There was a position that was funded through a service contract with SpaceX. That contract…is being terminated,” Deputy County Administrator Xavier Villarreal told commissioners.
He said the county is in the process of working with a new partner, liquid natural gas developer NextDecade, to continue funding the fire marshal position.
The fire marshal’s duties include reviewing plans and inspecting buildings for compliance with fire safety codes. SpaceX may have funded the position, but Villarreal confirmed it was “for inspection” and a permit to help the county cope with the increased workload associated with a construction surge. Villarreal did not respond to an emailed request for comment.
Starbase currently monitors fire codes. The city appointed two people from SAFEbuilt, a fellow fire plan review and building inspection vendor, to the task. Cliff Nevins was appointed fire marshal and Wade Cain was appointed building official.
Taken together, the new volunteer fire department and the two SAFEbuilt appointments suggest that Starbase brought fire code approvals in-house using a self-appointed vendor while transferring emergency response to a corporate affiliate.
This is different from how new starbase cities deal with law enforcement. The Company City made an agreement with Cameron County that two sheriffs would patrol the starbase every shift. Starbase also has access to county jails for a fee of $100 per inmate per day.
The different approach has caught the attention of at least one local. “But they can’t hire police officers? That’s interesting,” one board member responded to Starbase’s decision to terminate its fire marshal funding agreement at its August meeting.
Starbase’s proposed fiscal year 2026 budget includes just $60,000 for the volunteer fire department, a modest amount compared to the $1.3 million earmarked for a law enforcement contract with the county. This difference suggests that SpaceX itself may be paying for much of the equipment and other costs.
The change comes as SpaceX continues to expand its launch operations at Starbase. SpaceX’s rapid prototyping development approach resulted in numerous fires and explosions within the facility. In June, after a test firing of the company’s Super Heavy booster, a malfunction caused a dramatic fireball that was visible for miles and prompted a flurry of local calls from panicked neighbors. No injuries were reported.
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