Building A New Station...Ideas

[M G]

My department is researching the construction of a new station [EMS-Rescue]. We have 9 vehicles ranging in size from a Chevy Blazer to a ~30' Rescue truck. We need to have a station that can accomodate the vehicles as well as contain offices, sleeping quarters, shower facilities, meeting and training areas. A cost effective solution is obviously our goal with functionality and asthetics in mind. Morton buildings seem appealing. Does anyone have any suggestions for prefab or cost effective solutions? What companies have you used for construction? What expierences have you had..good and bad.

For those using MORTON buildings:
1. What do you like/dislike about them.
2. Does anyone know if Morton makes 2 story buildings?
3. What other options have u added to Morton Buildings (exhaust removal systems etc.)

[nonameFF]

I don't have any experience with Morton Buildings, but I can suggest that you build it bigger than you ever think you would need.

Amazing how quickly you will outgrow space.

[Chief79]

First you should consider how long you plan on using the new station. If you think 30 years, what kind of department will you be in 30 years? 9 vehicles in one building now, will you need 15 vehicles in 30 years? Would 2 stations be better than 1? You want to make sure what ever you build will do the job you need it to do for the length of time you plan to use the building.

[larrycook]

Go look at airplane hangers. You can build almost any size of buildings. there is a lot of clear span in them and if you get one 20 tall, you can make it two stories on the inside. The only difference in a hanger and a regular building is in a regular building you would have door post for the inddividal doors instead of one large door. we jut built a new hanger that is 60 by 60 at the airport where I work. Slab, building, and erection of building was a little over $ 14.00 a square ft. Draw you up some designs and the metal building companies will give you price estimates and drawings. that way you can get what you want.
Larry

[N2DFire]

No experience with morton Buildings either, but I just want to echo what M.G. & Chief79 have already stated.

Plan now for future expansion.

That dosen't nesecerally mean you have to build more building now than you need (or can afford), but rather make sure that your building design, layout and location (both on your property and in relation to ajacent buildings, roads, etc.) will allow for future expansion / additions while minimizing the Look of expansion.


Case in point - About 3 years ago my Volunteer rescue squad built a nice building - a 1 story bay area (complete with drive thru bays) and the attached 2 story area for kitchen, offices, sleeping quarters - etc.) - however the building has a Hip roof on both sections which will be very "fun" to try and tie into for expansion. Also the building was turned & located on the available property in such a mannor that there is only room for expansion on the side of the 2 story section opposite the existing bay area.

Don't get me wrong - this building is 100 Times better than the one we came from and I love it - but during the planning no one ever considered what would happen if we ever expanded.

Food for thought. Good luck with your building.

Take Care - Stay Safe
Stephen
FF/Paramedic

[SilverCity4]

Don't have any experience with Morton, either.

We did the prefab thing with a new station in '97, and just finished an addition this summer.

Prefab is cheap to construct, it goes up FAST, and is easy to maintain. It's also easy to build on in the future, if you plan correctly.

I see no reason that you can't finish the exterior and interior as nice as you want--it just depends on how much money you want to spend (same as any other type of construction), and adding equipment like exhaust removal systems shouldn't be a problem, either.

Many of the prefab metal building companies have examples of "standard" buildings, but we've had our own plans drawn up both times (to put out for bids) and included any specific designs consideration in them.

[Rayr49]

I have seen a number of post frame buildings (Morton and others) built over the years. They seem to hold up as well as any other building. Check with you local dealers. They have loads of info and yes they can do two stories.

I am in agreement with the others. Build it bigger than you think you need and consider long range planning.

Also make sure any part of your new building that is accessible to the general public is ADA compliant.

We built a new station in 1992 and were going to use a post frame construction until we got involved with FARM HOME for fiancing. We had to go stick built because FHA would not recognize post frame at the time.

We built ours with a metal liner in the apparatus bays (walls and ceiling) and metal exterior finish. It has held up well. We put three ceiling fans in the 5 truck bays to circulate air in the winter (gas fired heaters). The offices/meeting room/kitchen are heated by gas fired HVAC units. Average of $70.00 per month to heat the 7200 sq ft VFD during the winter months. Spec plenty of insulation for the entire building.

[LFD2203]

it is cheaper to build it bigger now than to try to make it grow later. a few observations:
1. put in more storage space than you think you will ever need. cleaning supplies, apparatus supplies, office supplies....you got to have them, so make a place for them.
2. plenty of room for personal lockers. consider small lockers in the shower/bath area for toiletries. have ppe lockers in an area protected from sunlight (UV eats PBI)
3. put in a big kitchen with commercial equipment. nothing makes a good day in the firehouse like a great meal!
4. separate the living quarters from the administration offices.
5. remember, drive through bays are not if you put two apparatus in tailboard to tailboard.
6. wire it for state of the art media. (tv, station alerting system, computer network, etc.)
7. i am not sure of morton style buildings. we have several stations that are simply wood frame, brick veneer, drywall houses with big garages. they are in the 30 to 35 year age now, and are not holding up. our last 2 stations were built with almost all block interior walls. i think they will be more durable over the long haul.
8. sprinklers........we tell everyone else to put them in, so we should too.
9. put infloor mats at all entry points, this will keep the inside cleaner.
10. carpet in the living quarters is a waste of money. put down tile so it can be mopped after that big fire in the middle of the winter when there is 6" of snow on the ground.
11. good exterior lighting so the public can find you.
12. big flag pole out front.
13. windows that can open for fresh air.
14. orient the station so you do not have to dormitory next to the street, and try to have the dormitory with direct access to the apparatus bay.
i know this is well off of the morton building question but i think you can incorporate many of these ideas into a morton.....

[BillyMott]

In addition to all of the other suggestions here are my two pet peeves. First in the Bath room area, totally isolate the toilets from the rest of the room. There is nothing more disgusting then trying to shave and brush your teeth while there is someone in the stall next to you trying to rid themselves of last night meal and commenting about it at the same time, if you know what I mean. Secondly in the dorm area think about a place for those that SNORE. I'm not talking about the normal ones I'm talking about the record setting all nighters, also what about coed if you haven't already considered that.

[GggFF3P]

M G check thge web for F.D.'s in the farming communities of the midwest, these Morton type buildings are very common. I agree with the space issues mentioned earlier, but I know in reality what you want & what you can afford are usually two different things. A good idea for future expansion is to purchase large enough propety that will allow future expansion when necessary. My old dept. just built a station (Morton type) and one of the best things they did (in their opinion) was to use in the floor radiant heat. Travel to area depts. and ask questions too. Good luck.

[toddmcbr]

We've just recently finished building our fire station. It is basically a Morton building, but it was built by a local contractor. It is all steel on the outside and is lined with steel on the inside as well.

It is not really a pole building, but rather a stick building. We were afraid that the poles might rot over time.

Other than that, it is a real basic building for a department with a small budget. It has 6 bays for all of our emergency service vehicles. The local community college did all the wiring for the building at no cost to us. We just provided the material. The total cost to us should be somewhere around $130,000.00

You can check out the pictures on our website. They will be updated in the next few days with some completed pictures.
http://pionet.net/~danbury/dfd/index.html

Thanks

Todd

[rudedog]

Look into the "Blue Max" type buildings---foam blocks forms poured solid with concrete-energy efficent and storm proof