When the Fire Industry Equipment Research Organization (F.I.E.R.O.) began in 1990, its goal was to help the fire service improve safety and efficiency through information sharing, testing, researching and analyzing data for fire apparatus, equipment, clothing and other related fire-service elements. For the past 16 years, the group has never wavered from that goal; in fact, over the past five years, F.I.E.R.O. has worked hard to broaden its focus, creating the Fire Station Design Symposium, the original and most comprehensive forum for fire facility design in the country.
What to Expect
Hosted by F.I.E.R.O. in partnership with FireRescue magazine, the 2006 Fire Station Design Symposium will be held in Charlotte, N.C., Oct. 5-7, providing a unique opportunity for fire departments and architects from around the country to come together to share ideas, strategies and plans about how to optimize and improve fire facilities. The three-day gathering will be chock-full of speakers, exhibitors and invaluable networking opportunities, and will include a pre-show tour and a post-show tour, offered on Oct. 5 and Oct. 7, respectively, to allow attendees to view some of the fire stations in the area. “This is an excellent networking opportunity,” says F.I.E.R.O. Vice-President and Charlotte Fire Department Health & Safety Officer Robert Tutterow. “In addition to the formal presentations by industry experts, everyone [who attends] is about to build or is in some phase of building a fire station.”
In all, more than 200 fire service personnel and architects, as well as 30 exhibitors, are expected to attend. In 2005, the symposium hosted personnel from 33 states and four provinces, and with each passing year, the numbers keep climbing. To attract more attendees this year, F.I.E.R.O. went out of its way to include something for everyone. “For first-timers, [we offer presentations on] how to select an architect, how to get started and what to expect during the process,” Tutterow explains. “For returning attendees, we get into more detail with presentations on training elements, how to equip a station properly and financing blunders. For bigger departments, we have a presentation on how to build a design manual for people who are building several stations.”
Attendees will also have access to some of the most respected experts in the fire service and the architectural field. “It’s important to know there will be architects coming from all over,” Tutterow says. “And [many] fire service experts are giving [insightful] presentations.”
Symposium Presentations
The 2006 symposium will offer attendees a rare opportunity to obtain information on how to properly build fire stations, with all presenters and exhibitors focused solely on fire station design and other related issues. Throughout the three-day event, architects and fire personnel will share their expertise in more than 20 presentations. The list below includes a sampling.
Selecting an Architect
Friday, Oct. 6, 9:45 a.m.
Candice Wong and Jim Duffy,
RRM Design Group
In their seminar “Selecting an Architect,” Candice Wong and Jim Duffy will discuss the basic and expanded architectural services fire departments should know about when choosing an architect to design a fire station. Duffy explains that they hope to give participants an understanding of the different roles and responsibilities associated with the design process. “We want participants to understand what they can expect from an architect, as well what they are required to bring to the table themselves during the process,” he says. One responsibility of the fire station’s owner: developing for the architect a comprehensive program with a budget that matches the program.
Duffy adds that it’s important for participants to remember that fire stations are a specialty and, therefore, it helps the overall process to choose an architect with experience in this area. “We’ve run into departments that have used architectural firms without a lot of past design experience with fire stations, and they have had numerous issues along the way-through the design, permitting and construction-that could have been alleviated had everyone been better educated on fire station design,” he says. Wong and Duffy also hope to leave participants better prepared to negotiate architectural service fees.
Caring for PPE in the Fire Station
Friday, Oct. 6, 1:30 p.m.
Kirk Owen, Plano Fire Department
The life of firefighters’ PPE can be drastically shortened by improper storage and maintenance. During his presentation, Kirk Owen, a 29-year fire service veteran and assistant chief of the Plano, Texas, Fire Department, will outline how to properly store, clean and repair PPE to maintain its quality and, more importantly, your safety. Owen will also discuss the newly revised NFPA standard on selection, care and maintenance of PPE.
Don’t Get Burned-Maintaining Control of the Construction Process
Friday, Oct. 6, 2:25 p.m.
Greg Gilbert, Vice President, Bignell Watkins Hasser Architects
One of the largest and most important investments for any fire department is the actual fire station. Those who attend Greg Gilbert’s presentation on controlling the fire station construction process will obtain detailed information on how to get the most for their money, a limited resource for many departments. “[I’ll discuss] the different methods of selecting and contracting with a general contractor to build your station,” Gilbert explains. “Attendees will take with them the differences between the methods and understand the pros and cons of each method.”
Understanding how to select and contract with a general contractor can not only make or break your budget, it can also greatly affect the quality of your firehouse. “We want to make sure that we all get the greatest value for our dollars,” Gilbert says, “[and we want to ensure] the building is constructed so that it will function properly for years to come.”
Before you sign on the dotted line, protect yourself and your department by learning your options.
Health & Safety
Thursday, Oct. 5, 2:50 p.m.
Kevin Roche, Phoenix Fire Department
In today’s fire service, no fire station can function properly without first taking into consideration all the necessary health and safety guidelines. In his presentation, Kevin Roche, assistant to the Phoenix Fire Chief, will discuss all the requirements and standards that apply to a firefighter’s well being while at the station. He will also describe all the non-required features that make a fire station safe and functional. Ensuring your safety at the station will make your firehouse a true home away from home.
Come One, Come All!
In addition to the multitude of exhibitors, speakers, facilities and networking opportunities, the 2006 Symposium offers those who register a free 12-month subscription to FireRescue magazine. To increase firefighters’ safety and security while on the job, both F.I.E.R.O. and FireRescue hope attendees come away with an appreciation for and knowledge of how to safely and efficiently build and maintain fire facilities. “We want attendees to come away knowing which issues they need to pay close attention to,” Tutterow says.
For complete information on the 2006 Fire Station Design Symposium, including how to register, visit www.fierofirestation.com.
NEW AWARDS PROGRAM
New to the symposium this year is an awards program, which recognizes those architects and fire departments that go above and beyond the norm when designing safe, efficient, innovative fire stations. The program is open to design firms and fire departments that have brought a fire station or other fire-service related facility online during the last several years or have a project that will be completed in the next few years.à¿Awards will also be given for outstanding fire station renovations that have been completed or are in the planning stages. “One of the things I’m most excited about is this awards program,” Tutterow says. “In addition to recognizing the best design, it’s going to be an educational opportunity because the designs will be on display. I think it’s a truly unique experience because it goes beyond recognition. It’s about education, and that’s as important, if not more important, than the recognition part.”
To decide the winner, each of the five judges will have the opportunity to evaluate the projects by themselves, on their own time. Then they must go to each project as a group. “When we go as a group, we ask, ‘Does anyone in the group see something [innovative] in this project?’ If not, it’s taken out of the sort,” says program judge Don Collins. “If you do see something you like, you have to convince the others of what you see.”
Although all the judges have design training, they may have their work cut out for them, as each judge may have a different idea about what constitutes an innovative fire facility-and their vote must be unanimous. “We look for many things,” Collins says. “We look at the logic of the station. Does the station clearly express the internal flow of the firefighters? Will first-time visitors to the fire station know where to go right away? We also look at stations and try to determine their context. How do they handle gender issues? We consider the overall aesthetic.
“One thing I will be looking for [personally] is physical fitness rooms that are open and visible,” Collins continues. “Recently, a firefighter died in a room while working out, but no one saw him because the room wasn’t visible.”
The goal of the awards program is not to breed competition so much as it is to up the ante on fire station design, and, most importantly, to help fire departments and fire station designers share information. “[Attendees] will get to see all the projects, regardless of whether they won an award or not,” Collins says. “[Doing this may help] people realize they have architects in their area. They will make connections. We can give exposure to the architects and to fire departments.
“We also have two categories: built and unbuilt,” Collins continues. “If [a project] gets an award before it’s built, that might be the push it needs to ensure it gets built as designed. [The awards program] adds another dimension to the conference.”
