Designing a New Fire Station?

If you’re thinking about a new Fire Station, early-bird registration ends tomorrow, August 31 for the FIERO Fire Station Design Symposium coming up in Raleigh, NC, September 24-26.

This article by Alan Petrillo caught our eye several times recently — “Architect Advice for Fire Departments Designing New Stations.” Here are the recommendations from experts in the field:

• Create an outline of rooms with list/description of equipment in each room
• Consider polished concrete floors
• Get input up and down chain of command, including different age groups

“You want to get the input of the boots on the ground who will be using the station to be designed,”

says James Zwerg, architect and facilities manager for the Phoenix (AZ) Fire Department

• Protection from contaminants might include a decon zone as well as transition area to limit carcinogen transfer. Isolate hot zones from living areas.
• Additional considerations include gender issues, Americans with Disabilities Act, and training.

To these suggestions, we would like to add: Consider a fixed-base weather monitoring system for your fire station. Hyperlocal met data can be used for operations, training, and dispatch, as well as providing data for other municipal agencies. 

And don’t forget to register for the symposium!