A new fire station is more than just a fancy physical building. It becomes the legacy and tradition of the organization for the next 50 years. The station embodies the organization’s culture and family. It serves as a sanctuary from the harsh realities of the calls that firefighters respond to. The station must bridge the past with the future of your organization.
For larger organizations experiencing significant growth, constructing new stations may be routine. But for many other organizations, building a new station is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Regardless of your situation, building a new fire station will inevitably involve many distractions, including financial, logistical, emotional, and often our own biases and traditions.
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With this in mind, here are a few factors to consider from a chief’s perspective as you embark on the journey of building a new station:
Forecast the future
Yes, you might be building a fire station right now, but it needs to last 50 years. What will your community, organization and firefighters require over the next 50 years?
As a fire chief, it’s easy to stay in our comfort zone and build the station just like the ones that we grew up in — bays, dorm rooms, dayrooms, radio desks, locker rooms, gear rooms, and the ever-important kitchen … and kitchen table. But go beyond the basics: What will future firefighters need in terms of technology or health and wellness? It is your responsibility as chief to ask critical questions that will help forecast the future and your members’ needs.
What services will your community need today and in the future? Do our apparatus evolve to better meet the needs of our community? Completing a standards of coverage and leveraging that against your apparatus response model, along with the staffing model, to help predict the needs of station location, layout and design will be critical as you develop your new station plan.
Technology
What technical advancements have occurred since the last time you built a station? How about since you were born? Depending on your age, that could be the last time your department built a station. What challenges in your current facilities have you had to overcome?
Technology continues to rapidly impact the fire service. Will your facility have the power supply needed to support additional technology? Will your station be able to adapt to support more roof-mounted drone operations? Electric vehicle and equipment charging stations? PPE isolation and decon rooms that remove contaminants? Ventilation systems that clean air quality? Dorm rooms with alerting beds, lighting, and white noise systems? What additional technological advancements will be needed for the future — factors that aren’t even on our radar yet, should be?
Physical and mental health
The fire service continues to be challenged to do better for our members’ mental and physical health. Are we tapping into the research to improve the physical components of our stations in order to enhance the mental and physical health of our members?
Let’s start with the basics: weight rooms. Are we designing them to promote health using information rooted in performance-based training, or are we focusing on curl stations and bulk-up zones? Experts can help us design and build facilities to improve performance and reduce injuries.
Additionally, how can station design impact firefighter mental health? Everything from day room design to dorm room design to kitchen design matters. How does our lighting affect our mental health? How about colors and station layout? Station design can greatly impact our mental and physical health. Again, are we digging into the research or are we just building the same thing we built last time?
When it comes to cancer prevention, is this a priority that’s baked into the station design? Are there decontamination areas? Showers outside the living space? Gear ventilation? Apparatus bay air filtration? Station shoes versus duty boots? Outside uniforms versus station gear? We must insist on design elements that keep the bad stuff out of our living area. We need to improve ventilation and air exchange for living spaces. Furthermore, redesigning our kitchens can enhance healthier eating by including fresh fruit wash stations and storage, as well as healthy beverage dispenser options. The point is, station design is a component of cancer reduction that you might forget.
Money matters
The big question is how to afford all the wants versus the needs. First, having wants is nice, but tough decisions must be made to show the impact of taxpayer dollars being spent. One way to balance wants and needs is to consider the impact of the project or items: How does it serve the community or the firefighters? It is important to note that not all items serve the community, and not all items benefit the firefighters. However, there must be a balance of both external and internal benefits associated with your build.
Additionally, seek unconventional funding sources, including federal and state grants specific to energy or technology. Additionally, federal funding programs are available through the USDA and other entities.
Final thoughts
Fire stations are more than brick and mortar or wood and steel; they are the backbone of your organization and provide a sanctuary for your firefighters. Build your stations for the future and focus on technology, mental and physical health, cancer reduction, and ultimately how your station can better serve both your community and your firefighters.
