Design & Construction

May 21, 2013

Article

Fire Chief

N.Y. fire department garners public support to renovate 70-year-old station

The decision to renovate a 70-year-old facility into a state-of-the-art fire headquarters was not made lightly. But it was a decision that resulted in a 2012 Station Style gold award in the renovation category from the Niskayuna (N.Y.) Fire District No. 1/Grand Boulevard Fire Company....More
May 21, 2013

Article

Fire Chief

40 years of fire station design changes

The modern fire station is a very specialized facility, not just a garage in which to keep big trucks. And a specialized facility requires a designer who specializes in that building type. Departments will benefit greatly by including an architect with extensive expertise in station design on the project team. This realization has resulted in a category of station designers who can provide the entire design package for your project, or who can assist the local design team that may lack this type of experience....More
May 21, 2013

Commentary

How -- and when -- to design security into your fire station

VFIS's Ryan Pietzsch said that many agencies do not consider safety and security during the fire station design phase. Instead, they wait until after construction is completed and accidents or losses begin to occur....More
May 21, 2013

Video

Fire Chief

Using software to predict fire station design performance

Christopher Kehde of LeMay Erickson Willcox discusses the benefits of using building information modeling, which helps architects and their fire station design clients plan, collaborate, and predict performance before breaking ground....More
May 20, 2013

Video

Fire Chief

How to select, fund a training facility

Steven Harms of Fire Facilities discusses where chiefs should locate training facilities, what materials they should use, and what grants and financing are available to pay for them....More
Apr. 23, 2013

Commentary

Standards, security among 2013 Station Style Conference highlights

Harold Straut, chairman of the Nanuet (N.Y.) Fire District, made my day. He sent me an e-mail after attending the 2013 Station Style Conference in Phoenix. “I would highly recommend that anyone planning on a new station, whatever the scope may be and whatever stage they may be in, attend this conference,” he wrote....More
Apr. 22, 2013

Video

Fire Chief

How fire station design costs, bidding processes have evolved

Ken Newell of Stewart Cooper Newell discusses myths and unfounded generalities about station design and construction, including timeframe and schedules, construction and design costs (and budgets), and project flow, among others....More
Apr. 22, 2013

Video

Fire Chief

What you don't know can hurt you when it comes to fire station design, public approval

What you believe you know can be as detrimental as what you don’t know, Dennis Ross and David Pacheco of Pacheco Ross Architects told Associate Publisher Janet Wilmoth....More
Mar. 19, 2013

Article

Fire Chief

Texas department builds new fire station with community support, grant dollars

The new building — a five-year plan in the making — was built with the assistance of community members lending their services and time. One man even provided space for the crew to work from while their building was under construction, saving the nonprofit organization a considerable amount of money....More
Mar. 19, 2013

Article

Fire Chief

Kern County adds inside-out bay doors, individual sleeping quarters to fire station design

Kern County Fire Department's Fire Station No. 65 features doors that slide inward and are expected to last a million uses, a marked difference from older fire stations in the county....More