Last week FIRE CHIEF recognized the winners of our 2005 Station Style Design Awards at the FIERO Station Design Symposium in Charlotte, N.C. Following the presentation of the awards, one of the judges, Mary McGrath of Ratcliff Architects, gave an overview of the first-place entries in each category.

McGrath's presentation pointed out the time-saving, direct routes to the apparatus bays for quick response; the central location of lavatories, both men's and women's; and the well-placed fitness rooms. She also answered questions from fire officers and other architects at the symposium, along with another judge and architect, Johnny Fong.

One fire station submitted to the awards not only won the Gold Award for Satellite Stations, but also received a Platinum Award for Overall Outstanding Design. The station is Sky Harbor Center Phoenix Fire Station #16, designed by Larry Enyart, FAIA, LEED AP, of LEA Architects in Phoenix.

In an interview with Enyart for our November Size-Up, I asked him what makes a successful fire station design. His answers surprised me.

While the historic look of fire stations is still popular, the trend is toward fuel-efficient, solar-powered and wireless technologies. Environmental considerations also are important.

Enyart said that fire stations must be built to accommodate emerging technologies. New generations of emergency responders will work with high-tech equipment not invented yet, so he encourages the participation of younger, tech-savvy members of the fire and emergency services. Whether it's Wi-Fi or Wi-Max, he said that the key to good fire station design is not having any "pre-determined ideas" when you team up with an architect. In other words, Enyart said, "be open-minded."

Enyart showed me his sketchbook of building designs, particularly those he sketched from his discussions on the winning Sky Harbor #16 for Phoenix. It takes a gifted, experienced craftsman to visualize the end product and then execute the idea. Not unlike being able to design a fire truck on a legal pad or conduct an interview and identify its strength before it's completed.

I used to think that vision was a gift. I now believe that it is a honed skill, from years of experience — good and bad — blended together into the perfect product. Vision starts with listening carefully and learning from mistakes, your own and others.

How do you pick the right architect? You'll have to read Size-Up in November!