Make a mistake in the specifications of a firefighter’s personal protective ensemble (PPE), and your department may have to live and work with the mistake for about 5 years before the PPE is replaced with newer gear. Make a mistake in the specifications for a fire apparatus or the purchase of a stock unit, and you may have to live and operate with the mistake for 10–20 years before the rig is relegated to the reserve fleet. But make a mistake with the programming, design or construction of a fire station, and you’ll be living with the blunder for 30–50 years, perhaps even longer.
Most significant fire station problems stem from insufficient time and resources at the early stages of the design process. Fortunately, there’s one symposium that can help attendees learn how to avoid mistakes and capitalize on opportunities in the planning, design and construction of a fire station: the F.I.E.R.O. Fire Station Design Symposium.
The sixth-annual symposium, held Oct. 25–27 in Charlotte, N.C., included 14 sessions, covering everything from selecting an appropriate station location to understanding Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements. Additionally, my two-part session titled “Little Things Make a Big Difference” featured myriad details that can have a significant impact on the final product. Following are some of the topics I covered in the presentation, which represent the range of information offered at the symposium. For a full list of symposium presentations, visit www.fierofirestation.com.
Station-Design Tips
Apparatus backing assistance: Guideline stripes that aid in backing apparatus into the station should be a permanent part of the apparatus floor surface. Don’t cheapen a station by hand-painting stripes on the new floor. Guideline stripes should extend onto the apron to help ensure proper vehicle alignment before the rig reaches the apparatus floor.
Apparatus bay doors: The “architectural standard” for apparatus bay doors is 14 feet wide by 14 feet high. Doors that are 14 feet wide and 16 feet tall are a safer bet. If you are in a pinch for space, you can go smaller, but you should never go smaller than 12 feet by 12 feet.
Apparatus bay placement: Don’t design stations in which apparatus bays are located in the middle of station. Occupants shouldn’t be required to travel back and forth all day through the dirtiest room in the house.
Apparatus departure control: Depending on neighborhood traffic and the length of the apron, you may need a stop sign at the end of an apron or a full-fledged traffic signal to control street access.
Apparatus floor drainage: Apparatus floor drainage points should be located under the middle of the apparatus. Pump packings leak. They are allowed to leak 10–12 drips per minute and still be within tolerance. Don’t let this drip water run out from under your apparatus, creating a slip hazard.
Approach, breakover and departure angles: NFPA 1901 calls for apparatus approach and departure angles to be 8 degrees unless otherwise specified by the purchaser. This is usually not a problem leaving the station envelope, but it can be a problem where the apron meets the street if there’s any significant difference in elevation between the street and the apparatus floor. Breakover angles may be a problem at the point where the apparatus floor ends and the apron begins if your rigs have large tool compartments under the side running boards. This could also be a factor if your station’s finished floor elevation is below the street level.
Apron length: Ensure the front (or rear) apron length is at least 6 feet longer than the longest apparatus to be quartered there. Anticipate the district’s future apparatus needs and how these changes will impact the station.
Assignable elements: Ensure that no assignable elements, such as bed space or locker space, are more desirable than others. If one bed has a window on the left shoulder, then all beds should have a window on the left shoulder. If you have assignable spaces that are more desirable than others, watch the politicking begin as soon as a retirement, resignation or transfer becomes known. The only hierarchal differentiation acceptable is that between the duty officer’s facilities and the rank and file. But even here the lieutenant’s facilities should not be any less than the captain’s assigned facilities.
Bollards as station structure protectors: Bollards must be stout enough to ward off a 40,000–60,000-lb. fire apparatus. Offset bollards 2–3 inches to the inside of the door opening to adequately protect the door frame and door lifting guide tracks. Also, consider placing bollards on the inside of the station. Ensure they are tall enough and painted a highly visible color. Tip: Yellow is the color most easily seen by the human eye.
Fitness areas: Fitness areas should be located in and observable from high-traffic areas.
“Flow” concepts: Consider basic “flow” for personnel moving to the apparatus for a response. Personnel should approach the apparatus from the rear of the apparatus floor. Otherwise, a firefighter delayed in getting to the apparatus bay may be in the way of a fully staffed unit that’s starting to roll. Also, within the station, all doors should open in the direction of movement to the apparatus floor, and no door should extend more than 7 inches into a high-traffic hallway.
Neighborhood design: Stations should match the scale of homes or other structures in the neighborhood. They should be tall enough to accommodate a tower ladder without overpowering adjacent homes. Don’t overlook the possibility of locating a station in a mixed-use facility; there’s no reason that rental office space or even residential space cannot be above the firehouse.
Parking: The number of parking spaces should be at least double the number of personnel on shift at any given time, plus one ADA stall for every 20 stalls (or whatever local code officials require).
PPE storage: Provide one set of lockers for station wear, personal items, etc., near the sleeping area and a second set of lockers for PPE in a separate room near the apparatus floor. PPE storage should never be on the apparatus floor. To ensure PPE integrity, always keep it out of sunlight.
Public entrances: Fire stations should have a clear “public entrance” that’s defined by a gable, columns, recessed doorway or other “readable” architectural elements. A flagpole near the public entrance helps establish the desired public contact point. The public entrance “meet and greet” point is the best location for any large museum pieces, commemorative or memorial plaques, trophy cases, patch collection displays or other memorabilia.
Security: A number of different station security locking methods are on the market, ranging from the simple keypad to those that respond to proximity access codes programmed into personnel identification cards. Also consider limiting access to some internal storage spaces for EMS drug supplies, quartermaster supplies, etc.
Vertical transportation: Don’t pass up a great site because it might require elevators, stairs, poles or slides. With a slide, be sure to reinforce the walls where the “launch”?grab rail is mounted, and include a small landing flare at the bottom. Poles or slides must be located inside a closet-like area to keep visitors away from them. Doors should swing into the closet and have a release that’s mounted high enough to be out of the reach of children visiting the firehouse.
Conclusion
The above tips highlight the wide range of topics that must be addressed when involved in the long, complex process of designing a fire station. The F.I.E.R.O. Fire Station Design Symposium can walk you through the entire process. Visit www.fierofirestation.com for information about the 2008 symposium.
F.I.E.R.O. 411
To avoid mistakes in specing PPE, hand tools, apparatus, etc., several networking organizations formed about 20 years ago for the exchange of information and experiences. These organizations routinely engaged in developing various procurement specifications, and held periodic meetings to discuss what worked and what did not. The Fire Industry Equipment Research Organization (F.I.E.R.O.) in Virginia, the Carolinas and Georgia is one such organization.
For years F.I.E.R.O. held bi-monthly or quarterly sessions that featured presentations by members or vendors on PPE, hand tools, safety issues and apparatus, as well as an extensive roundtable discussion during which members presented equipment-related issues or questions.
A few years later, F.I.E.R.O. founders, including Robert Tutterow and Sally Young, both from the Charlotte (N.C.) Fire Department, Dart Kendall from the Cobb County (Ga.) Fire Department, Joe Starnes of the Sandy Spring (N.C.) Volunteer Fire Department, Bill Summers of the Huntersville (N.C.) Volunteer Fire Department and myself, Don Collins, discussed adding fire station design to the list of potential meeting topics. Initial reactions were that fire stations deserved more than the usual half-day session.
Considering the complexity of the topic, we decided to expand the meeting session to 2 days and open the meeting to attendees outside the normal operating area of F.I.E.R.O. Tutterow took on the tasks of finding a space, lining up speakers, estimating cost and determining how to get the word out on the F.I.E.R.O. fire station meeting. One thing led to another, and the first National Symposium on Fire Station Design and Construction was held in suburban Charlotte, N.C., in 2000. It was intended to be a one-time event, but the word spread and people began to ask when the next symposium would be held, so a second was staged and then a third.
The F.I.E.R.O. Fire Station Design Symposium remains the only such symposium run by firefighters for firefighters (and their architects), with any symposium profit plowed back into promoting and staging the next symposium. In late October 2007, F.I.E.R.O. held its sixth national symposium on fire station planning, design and construction. For a list of this year’s F.I.E.R.O. Station Design Award winners, see the January issue of FireRescue magazine.
