At some point, fire departments need new fire stations. Whether a department finds that it's time to move out of someone’s garage or pole barn, needs more space and storage, or is making the transition from volunteers to paid members, Station Style Online is here to help.
FIRE CHIEF launched Station Style as a print supplement in 1999 to help chiefs make educated design decisions. A year later, the first Station Style Fire Station Design Awards showcased 33 fire stations, showing readers a variety of construction and cost options. The showcase has grown over time, and the 2008 awards included 76 fire stations among five categories.
FIRE CHIEF is pleased to bring you the newest addition to the Station Style line, a monthly e-newsletter with news, articles and tips for building your next public safety facility. Each issue will include feature articles by subject-matter experts, a station of the month taken from the 2009 Station Style Calendar, company news, new products, sustainability tips, and recently opened stations from across North America.
Designing and building public safety facilities to meet growing response needs has become more complex and more expensive. Public safety agencies are no longer exempt from environmental restrictions; EPA’s live-burn restrictions, 2010 engine emissions and ADA compliance must be considered when building or renovating a facility. And with the depressed economy, some fire departments are considering co-locating with other government agencies, while others are looking to renovate existing structures.
To that end, Station Style Online is looking to feature budget building beginning in January. Have you built a fire and emergency station for less than $500,000? Share your story.
The 2009 Station Style Conference will be held May 3–5 in Denver and we are adding a pre-conference program specifically for departments with smaller budgets. Details will be posted on our Web site.
There’s a carpenters' reminder that says, "measure twice, cut once." Perhaps it could apply to avoiding errors in building a new public safety facility.
Bentonville (Ark.) Fire Chief Dan White needed more space and had no money in 2002 when they started the research for a new station. When the two acres of property were donated, White and his team, including the architect and construction manager, were ready to move forward. With extensive research and due diligence well along, the Bentonville Fire Station No. 1 was able to overcome minimal obstacles and ended up winning the Gold Career Station Design Award for 2008.
Twice the research builds it right the first time.
