The 2008 Station Style Design Awards offered an assortment of shared-use facilities. These facilities are becoming more common, as departments and communities try to find ways to stretch their dollars by conserving resources and co-locating compatible agencies.
In 1993, the town of Parker, Colo., built a joint-services facility to serve the Parker Fire District, the Douglas County School District and the town of Parker. This facility became even more important to the area when the Parker Fire District merged with the nearby South Metro Fire District to become the South Metro Fire Rescue Authority. This is the first time two fully accredited fire districts have merged.
The facility is used for firefighter training and apparatus maintenance. Fleet services also has an intergovernmental agreement to provide maintenance and services for other local departments, including annual pump testing, according to Brian Brown, bureau chief of fleet services.
The Douglas County School District uses the facility for bus maintenance, school-bus dispatch and school-bus driver training.
“We have a fuel facility there, too," Brown said. "Douglas Schools purchase the fuel in bulk quantities and sell it to us, so it’s pretty cheap and centrally located.”
The town of Parker also uses the facilities. “We don’t charge them because they donated the property,” Brown said.
With the merged fire districts, there are 220 pieces of equipment, not including cars and maintenance vehicles, but Brown is confident that fleet services is prepared to handle the increased number.
You can see the facility for yourself at the 2009 Station Style Conference, May 3–5 in Denver. Attendees will have the opportunity to tour both this shared facility and South Metro Fire Authority’s newest fire station.
