Alumni Spotlight: Battalion Chief Steven Foehner (THS, '97)

Steven Foehner, Tomball High School, 1997
Battalion Chief, Tomball Fire Department

Making an impact and serving his community has always been a priority for Steven Foehner.

Born and raised in Tomball, Foehner attended Beckendorf Junior High and Tomball High School where he graduated among the Class of 1997. 

During his high school years, Foehner was immersed in athletic training where he gained valuable experience that he uses on a daily basis now as the Battalion Chief of the Tomball Fire Department.

“My high school experience was great,” he said. “I made many friends along the way. Sophomore year I became an athletic trainer and was honored to work and learn from the great Doc Graham. I traveled with the soccer and football teams and I continued as an athletic trainer through the end of my senior year.”

Having already spent time as a volunteer with the Tomball Fire Department prior to graduating, Foehner continued his path and took advantage of an opportunity for him to attend A&M Fire Academy in College Station. After graduating from the Fire Academy, he obtained an EMT through Tomball College (now Lone Star College-Tomball). 

He began serving his community once again as part of Tomball Public Works. 

“I spent a few years there before being offered a job working for Northwest EMS,” he recalls.

In 2009, Foehner became one of the first career full-time firefighters hired by the Tomball Fire Department.

His interest in serving his community and giving back as a firefighter was sparked by a family full of first responders.

“I want to give credit to my family and friends for the career path I chose,” he said. “Both of my parents, my two sisters and their husbands are or were all involved in law enforcement. I have extended family members and many friends that were first responders. They were all influential in supporting me, and I cannot thank them enough.”

Now having served the Tomball Fire Department for 27 years, 15 of which have been as a full-time firefighter for the City of Tomball, Foehner has become well-respected around the community for his contributions to public safety.

Foehner was named Battalion Chief in 2022. In this role, he works 48 hours on duty and 96 hours off. He is a supervisor for 13 personnel on his shift. He usually begins his day by reviewing schedules for training or public relations activities. He goes on to check off his vehicle and review all equipment. He travels to each of his four stations to make sure their apparatus and equipment are in working order. He will visit dispatchers and is responsible for scheduling, SCBA maintenance, communication and IT equipment for the department. He may respond to calls needing multiple units whether it is a vehicle accident or structure and wildland fires. 

When his unit responds with law enforcement, EMS and other fire agencies, Foehner, as Battalion Chief, usually takes the Incident Command role for the fire department to communicate with other agencies.

“As you can imagine, no two days are the same,” he said. “I also help the fire marshal's office on my days off by performing annual inspections on businesses in the city to make sure they are safe for their customers.”

His dedication and commitment to his community and public safety has been recognized. In fact, Foehner recently earned the Greater Tomball Area Chamber of Commerce Public Safety Officer of the Month, among other awards throughout his career.

“Community involvement is the most rewarding and favorite part of my job,” he said. “Interaction with the public is an important part of what we do.

“I believe the people in this community are what make it so special. I enjoy seeing the area grow but I like to remind myself of the people that made this town what it is today.”

Foehner not only gives back to his community but is a dedicated father of two children who both attend Tomball ISD schools.