SpaceX is quietly standing up a volunteer fire department to serve the sprawling launch-and-manufacturing Starbase complex, tightening its control over emergency response at a site known for rapid — and sometimes explosive — rocket development. 

A certificate of formation filed with the Texas Secretary of State on June 30 shows the creation of what’s called the Starbase Volunteer Fire Department. The nonprofit entity lists its headquarters as 1 Rocket Road in Brownsville, the principal address of SpaceX. Two of the three directors named on the filing are SpaceX employees: Cody Dye, environmental health and safety manager, and Kevin Bagnall, in-house counsel. The certificate is signed by another SpaceX lawyer, Stephen Herndon. 

The filing says the organization will “aid, promote and provide for the establishment of systems and facilities for the provision of public safety education, and fire prevention and suppression services.” 

SpaceX has historically handled fires at Starbase, which was recently incorporated as its own Texas city, with a combination of an internal firefighting and emergency response team and help from local fire departments, such as the one in nearby Brownsville. 

It’s unclear what impact the new volunteer fire department will have on those external relationships, and when asked, Cameron County directed TechCrunch to submit a public information act request. At the time of publication, Cameron County had not responded to that request.

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

It’s also unclear whether the Starbase Volunteer Fire Department is connected to the county’s 911-dispatch system. As it is a volunteer fire department, it is not regulated by the Texas Commission on Fire Protection, which is only authorized to regulate local government fire departments, agency chief Mike Wisko said. 

The new volunteer fire department was established just months after Starbase became an officially incorporated city in Texas. That has led SpaceX and Starbase city officials — most of whom are current or former SpaceX employees — to exercise more authority over the corner of Texas they occupy. The company town announced in September a deal with Cameron County to take partial control of the beach near the launch complex. Starbase installed gates in June to control public access to the city.

The formation of the new volunteer fire department coincided with the end of a separate arrangement: SpaceX’s funding of an emergency fire marshal position inside Cameron County.

During an August 26 commissioners meeting, officials acknowledged SpaceX had been funding a fire marshal within the county’s emergency-management office. “There was a position that was being funded through an agreement for services with SpaceX. That contract … is terminating,” deputy county administrator Xavier Villarreal told commissioners.

He said the county was in the process to continue funding the fire marshal position with a new partner, liquid natural gas developer NextDecade. 

The duties of a fire marshal include reviewing plans and inspecting buildings for fire-safety compliance. SpaceX may have funded the position, which Villareal acknowledged was “for inspections” and permits, in order to ensure the county could keep up with the increased workload as construction surged. Villarreal did not respond to emailed requests for comment.

Starbase is now handling fire-code oversight. The city has appointed two people from the same fire plan review and building inspection vendor, SAFEbuilt, for the task. Cliff Nevins has been appointed as fire marshal and Wade Cain is a building official.

Taken together, the new volunteer fire department and the two SAFEbuilt appointments suggest Starbase has internalized fire-code approvals, using a vendor it appoints while shifting emergency response to a company-affiliated organization.

This differs from how the new city of Starbase is handling law enforcement. The company town has arranged a deal with Cameron County where two sheriffs will patrol Starbase per shift. Starbase also has access to the county’s jails for a cost of $100 per inmate per day.

The differing approach has turned at least one local head. In response to Starbase terminating the fire marshal funding agreement at the August meeting, one commissioner responded, “But they can’t hire police officers? Interesting.” 

Starbase’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2026 sets aside just $60,000 for the volunteer fire department, a modest sum compared to the $1.3 million allocated to the law enforcement contracts with the county. The disparity suggests that SpaceX itself may be footing much of the bill for equipment and other expenses.

The shift comes as SpaceX continues to expand its launch operations at Starbase. SpaceX’s rapid-prototyping approach to development has led to a number of fires and explosions at the facility. In June, following a test firing of the company’s Super Heavy booster, a malfunction triggered a dramatic fireball that was visible for miles and caused panicked nearby residents to flood local dispatch with calls. No injuries were reported.