At the recent Fire Industry Equipment Research Organization's Fire Station Design Symposium in Charlotte, N.C., more than 250 attendees spent two days learning about site location, codes and regulations, design, and the health and safety issues involved with building or renovating a fire station.

A small exhibit area offered a range of information, from architects to training facilities. Useful information was all around, including a tip on apparatus-bay flooring from an architect who suggested showing “your construction supervisor the type of surface you want. Walk him over to a surface; put his hand on it.” Concrete comes in a variety of textures, and while you can try to describe what you want, showing a sample means less room for error.

During lunch, I asked one of the participating architects what the fire station of 2010 will be like. Wide-eyed, he said, “Well, that's a great question.” Wireless computers and fiber optics? GPS? Designated decontamination areas and storage of large-scale disaster equipment?

This year's entries in our Station Style Fire Station Design Awards saw a significant increase in the trend of designated fitness centers. While this may be a result of FIRE Act Grant monies, it also highlights increasing emphasis on firefighter fitness. Will rehabilitation after a call find its place in a department's post-incident follow-up? Re-hydration and checking vital statistics could become a routine part of the recovery assessment in the near future.

The judges for this year's awards were a good blend of career, combination and volunteer departments, as well as two architects: Mark Bushhouse, Williams Architects; Chief Randy Justus, Mundelein (Ill.) Fire Department; Asst. Chief Michael Connors, Naperville (Ill.) Fire Department; Chief Thomas Meyers, Montgomery (Ill.) Fire Department; and two-for-the-price-of-one architect and firefighter Johnny Fong, Reno (Nev.) Fire Department.

Our judges were overwhelmed this year by almost twice as many entries as last year, but they worked diligently to select this year's winners. If we had a special “Editor's Choice,” the award would go to the Herman Volunteer Fire Company, Butler, Pa. Founded in 1949, this fire company is an outstanding example of the spirit of American volunteers.

In 1998, the Herman Fire Company decided to replace its 43-year-old station. Groundbreaking was in February 2000, the bays were operational in February 2002, and final completion of the office area is scheduled for January 2005. The building was financed without using tax dollars through a public raffle — a new, 13,885-square-foot station at a price of $86.42 per square foot.

Volunteer members donated more than 40% of the construction labor. Stanley Maciejewski, fire company president, was granted an 18-month leave of absence from his masonry profession to manage and build the station. The extraordinary masonry work, plaster walls and terrazzo floors all show personal commitment to this beautiful station.

A crew of six volunteers spent two weeks of evenings and weekends rubbing down and spackling the apparatus bay walls prior to painting. In all, volunteers set all concrete forms, wheeled concrete, set scaffolding and bar joists, and cleaned up.

Renovating or building a new fire station can be a daunting task. Never before has a fire chief had so many resources or options in the decision to expand. For the third year, FIRE CHIEF is pleased to offer these award-wining designs and a selection of great ideas to help you better serve your department and your community.