Maybe building new fire station

[FyredUp]

I was wondering if anyone knows of a web site I can go to to look at basic designs for a new fire station.

One of my village board members tasked me with coming up with a rough design of what I thought we needed. So, I thought I would look at what others may have done instead of reinventing the wheel.

Thanks for any help you may supply,

FyredUp

[CharlieRFDPres]

That's kind of a wide open question!!

Basic fire hall plans....... just too many variables, does it need quarters, if so for how many, does it need a meeting room, class room(s), how many pieces of equipment, what type, height, width, do you need a drive thru bay, if your a small rural dept with out water lines might wanna have a large cistern, for a refill station, or is there good volume municipal water right out front. Probably better to do some travelling find comprable size, type service depts. that have built new halls in the last few years, ask them whats good, bad, or gee wish we had made this or that just a little different, etc. Then review their plans, and a few others and make it a fit for you. NFPA may have regulations 'standards' about station requirements, don't leave that out of your plans. GOOD LUCK on your new station.


Be safe out there.

[mcaldwell]

Go here:

http://firechief.com/

And in the search engine at the top of the page type in "Station Design". You will get many good articles on the topic.

If your Dept subscribes to this publication, look for the Station Design issue that came out about 3 or 4 months ago. It had excellent examples of station designs for each budget level and various needs. It also showed specific examples of each from all over North America.

We are going through the same process, and I picked up many good ideas from it.

[hwoods]

Take A Long Look............

Having "Been There" a couple of times in my career, The BIG thing is NOT what your needs are at this time, rather, look at where you expect to be 20 - 30 years from now. Many communities have carefully planned around where they were, instead of where they will be later on. Apparatus is getting bigger and more specialized as time goes by, in fact, everything about this business seems to require more space each year. In short, plan Waayyyy ahead, not for today. Stay Safe....

[FyredUp]

Okay let me try to paint a less murky picture.

This station would be a shared facility for the volly FD and DPW for the small village I live in. While the wash/maintenance bay, workshop/tool area and meeting room would be shared spaces all other areas would be seperate.

I am planning ahead to include an area that may become a bunkroom some day, right now that area would be a smaller multi-purpose room. The training room would have a kitchen at one end. Offices would include one for the chief, company officers, training officer, and fire inspector. Additional space would be needed for a an alarm room/common work space. Storage for training materials and office supplies would be needed.

We currently have 4 pieces of apparatus so a minimum of 3 double deep bays with a preference for 4 double deep bays. A wash bay with the capability to do light maintenance work is desired with a seperate work shop/tool area at the end of the stall. We also are looking at having a laundry room, equipment storage, hose tower or dryer, blood borne pathogen clean up room, public restrooms, restroom/showers/locker rooms, and a janitorial closet to include a slop sink.

Okay what did I miss?

Thanks again for your help.

FyredUp

[neiowa]

Set up that bunkroom as a efficiency apartment. Give free use to a guy attending local college/community (preferance for fire science type degree). Require he is in the station ____ hours per day/_____ hours/nights per week. Timeclock to verify. You get substantial manning credit for additional ISO points for minimal expense (and real world benefit of in station personnel).

[FFFRED]

www.firestationdesign.com

[hwoods]

Well, How About....??

You didn't say, so I guess Hose Maintenence is not a concern, if it is, then you will need to consider storage for spare hose, possibly a drying method of some sort, and adequate space to do this. When I mentioned apparatus, and planning ahead, in my earlier post, here's why. A VFD where I'm well known built a new station in the Mid 1980's and housed 2 engines, an ambulance, and a brush unit. Growth came suddenly to their district about 1993, and in a couple of years more, they had acquired a Tanker, Heavy Rescue and a 2nd Ambulance. A station that was adequate in 1985 was crammed in 1995. An addition was built by '98 and they are now building a second addition for the 100' ft ladder that they never dreamed of owning back in '85. So, I make my case for planning AHEAD. Stay Safe....

[DFCSmash]

On Thurday July 10 my department moved into the new station 1 firehall. 72 wide by 100 deep. 17 foot ceiling. Floor heat. 3 double deep bays. Each bay will accomodate 2 of our tanker. Mack tandem w/3500 gal tank. We currently have 2 triple combination pumpers and a 12' cube van Rescue as well. Remember, for the most part trucks aren't getting smaller. Yeah I know, CAFS.

Each of the three bays is 16 wide by 70 deep. Another 10 feet at the back of the hall for turnout gear.

On the one side of the hall there is a 12 x 15 office. Then there is a 16 x 30 meeting room with kitchen facilities. Then the mechanical room. A stairway to the mezzanine. Men's washroom with 2 toilets, 3 showers, 2 sinks. Womens washroom with 1 of each. Then a multi-purpose work shop/ general area. To the center of the building ther is a 15 x 15 compressor room for SCBA filling.

The multi purpose area and the compressor room were created when a 20x40 garage was added for the local handi-van. This gave us a bonus 20x30 area. Because of the slope of the lot, the floor of the Handi-van bay is 6 feet lower than the apparatus floor.

The mezzanine has a 7'10" ceiling and is over top of all of the office space and across the back of the building about 2800 sq ft. Air exchange systems with CO and NO2 detection. Overhead fill for tanker. Floor drain grates. 12x12 doors probably should have been 14 wide.

Remember to put phones so you don't have to run the length of the bldg. Lots of elec outlets.

As soon as I get a digital camera, I will post some photos for you if you would like. Post frame construction on continuous concrete foundation. Metal clad in and out. Drywall in meeting room etc.

Price $447,000 CDN + 7% Federal tax. Community of 1500. Area of 300 sq miles. Figure out what you need, then add 30% more room.

[DFCSmash]

oops one more thing. Handi-van cannot access our space, we cannot access theirs. I would strongly recommend the same for your DPW.

[FyredUp]

DFCSmash...

Definitely interested in seeing pics of the new firehouse.

I have already made it clear to the village board that a shared facility is fine, but and it is a big but, I don't want the DPW in the fire hosue and I don't want my FF's in the DPW barn. We will share a tool room/workshop area and paerhaps a wash bay, and the public meeting room.

I am trying to plan for 20 years into the future with a multi-purpose room that could perhaps become a bunk room someday.

FyredUp

[ehs7554]

I don't know exactly what you want, but you can get some ideas from the Firehouse.com in-quarters section. A lot of the stations shown are fairly new...including mine (Manhattan Fire Dept.). I think you could at least get some ideas from these photos on what you may like to see in your firehouse. Good luck!

[FyredUp]

Update for anyone that cares...

Village board meeting Monday night. They moved to form a committee to look at possible design of this facility. So at least at this juncture it is moving forward.

FyredUp

[DFCSmash]

New Fire Hall HELP

As a tech challenged kinda guy, if someone could advise me how to go about attaching images to a post, I will gladly post some pictures for FyredUp. It is a low resolution cheap cheap cheap digi-cam, but it does take picures. I assume it has something to do with the attach file area below this field? Thanks.

[PFire23]

DFC........ when you want to attach a photo just click the "Browse" button at the bottom of the screen where you enter your message. It is above the spot where you click on "submit". It will browse your files within your computer and allow you to choose the image you want to post. It basically uploads the image from your computer to the site here. I hope this helps somewhat, I have a hard time sometimes putting into words that which I know how to do.