How Warm is your Station

[treeguy]

We heat with an infrared natural gas heater. Historically, we just keep it above freezing. Nowdays with a new pumper in the stable and new electronic controlled SCBA's, TIC's and extrication tool, I'm just wondering out loud, how warm should it be?
It gets pretty hot in there in the summer time too. Are small rural volunteer departments going to need much better climate control in the future?
What are youall doing?

[mitchkrat]

50

We run old overhead Nat gas forced air heaters set on minimum (50)

[BoxAlarm187]

VFD: In our current station (which we move out of in July), we simply have a 40+ year old residential-grade air handler supplying heat to the bay through a wall vent. We keep it at 60 degrees during the winter...off in the summer! The new station, under construction, will use infrared overhead heaters, but we haven't yet determined it's operating limits.

Work: Gas-fed overhead heaters, which have two settings: "Off" and "Chernobyl." We get our new station at work in about 18 months, and it too will have infrared overhead heaters.

[Bowbreaker]

We have 2 geothermal heat pumps. 1 for in-floor heat in the apparatus bays and 1 forced air heat pump in the office and meeting room areas. The bays are 65 deg and the office and meeting room are 70 deg.

Brad

[GVFD5]

We use three overhead radiant heaters in our roughly 40' X 150' station. It keeps it easily 60-70 in there at all times. It is really comfortable which makes it rather nice during trainings and other functions that we use our bays for.

Good Luck!

Stay Safe!

FD5

[tree68]

Oil burner hangs from the ceiling in one corner, with ceiling fans to push the heat down. Usually set around 60 - it would be lower but we need a cushion in case something happens to the heat during the winter.

I dont' think we've ever shut it off during the summer, but this is the north country and sub-freezing temps aren't totally out of the question except maybe during the summer months.

[LVFD301]

We watch the weather, and if it will be below freezing for an extended period I start up the equipment and let the radiant heat help out. If it is really cold (maybe once a year) I bring a salamander from my office and heat the building up once or twice a day.

I will be real happy when we can afford a decent heater.

[wischief]

We keep ours at 55 degrees during the winter.

[Lump532]

We keep ours at 55 degrees during the winter.

Same here.

[islandfire03]

normally we keep both stations at 55 in the winter for the engine bays .One station has an oil fired Modine heater ceiling hung and the other had a propane Modine ceiling mount furnace.
Both have industrial ceiling fans to circulate the heat and help dry the trucks off
When it's real cold like this week with single digit temps, we kick it up to 62 to get the trucks a little warmer . Keeps things from freezing up for a little longer when out on calls.

our new storage and training building has in slab heat which uses a small package propane boiler. The whole wall mounted unit is 18" wide by 3' tall by 10 inched deep. Very efficient and cheap to run once you get the slab warmed up.

[Rice09]

Toasty! Probably 65-70. Which is like Africa compared to my house. My kids call me the heat Nazi.

[Chewy911]

Natural gas infrared heaters. and its about 60degrees. And you dont dare "forget" to close a door after you pull out for a call. I swear some of them old timers have an interal alarm that lets them know when money is being wasted! lol

[treeguy]

OK, well what about summer, I know it's hard to think about summer, when you're up to your keester in snow, but do you have air conditioning.

[BoxAlarm187]

At the VFD, we don't have A/C in the bays, but we haven't found the need for it. The way that the building is situated, the sun never comes through the windows except for an hour or so a day, so heat build-up hasn't been a problem for us.

FWIW, our building is cement block with a masonry outer facade, with a steel bar joist roof covered by a rubber membrane.

[tree68]

OK, well what about summer, I know it's hard to think about summer, when you're up to your keester in snow, but do you have air conditioning.

As an unmanned volunteer station, a little heat doesn't bother us. In fact, overnight coolness will usually hold over for most of the day inside the station. Kinda nice to walk into on a hot day.

I have heard of ambulance stations air conditioning their bays to help protect the meds in the ambulances.