From the Ground Up: Constructing or Reconstructing a Modern Firehouse

From the Ground Up: Constructing or Reconstructing a Modern Firehouse

FIREHOUSE CONSTRUCTION

Part two in a series.

As I DISCUSSED previously, constructing a modern firehouse involves establishing the need for a new or renovated facility, hiring an architect, choosing a method of payment for the architect’s services, and agreeing on a list of services that the architect will provide at each phase of the project.

SELECTING A SITE

The next step in the construction process is selecting a site for the new fire station. Four factors must be considered in site selection: location, size, grading, and soil conditions.

Location. The location of the fire station is generally limited to a very specific area, determined by desired response time. Once you select a general area, consider other location factors.

The site should allow direct access to the district’s major roadways. This does not mean that the fire station should be located on a major thoroughfare. In fact, to avoid traffic congestion choose a site on a side street right off the main road. Avoid locations near any major obstacles to driving within the fire district such as railroad right-of-ways, interstate highways, large parks, and colleges or other institutions. Also avoid locations subject to flooding or cut off from parts of the fire district during flooding.

Any site selected should be acceptable to the community. It is, after all, a community facility, and the community will pay for it one way or another. In most areas of the country, a fire station, as an emergency facility, is exempt from zoning and planning regulations and can be built anywhere. However, it is advisable to obtain community approval.

Size. The second most important factor is size. Size varies according to the type of fire station. The apparatus bays are the most critical portion of any fire station. Bays are roughly 15-feet wide, with a single-bay depth of 40 feet and a double-bay depth of 80 feet. An outside apron area in front of the apparatus bays should be large enough to accommodate the washing, display, or routine maintenance of apparatus. Thus leave a minimum setback from the property line to the front of the apparatus bays of about 50 feet. Behind the fire station, for a double-access drive-through bay, you must allow for another 50 feet for maneuvering the vehicles. Beyond that, if the property is landlocked and does not run through to two streets, you must provide space for parking—at least 60 feet.

The width requirement varies with the number of bays. Four 15-foot-wide bays require a width of 60 feet. An additional 50 feet or so are needed at the side for support facilities; in small substations, 20 to 30 feet are sufficient. If there is no parking room in the rear, space must be provided on the side.

The dimensions given above are, of course, minimums; a larger site is always preferable, particularly in light of the fact that most fire stations will have to expand over the years.

Grading. The site for a fire station should be as level as possible. You will maneuver relatively large vehicles over this site, and any unusually steep grades will interfere with operations. Accepted design standards say the maximum slope for a roadway such as one within a parking garage structure is one foot of vertical rise for every 12 feet of travel. However, avoid a grade that steep, if possible, particularly at the entrances and exits of the apparatus bays. Any tilt resulting from a steep grade causes the front and rear of the apparatus to rise to a level higher than the manufacturer’s specified height as it passes over the crest of the grade. Check this clearance with the budding’s door openings.

In addition to the site being level, it is best if the apparatus room floor is located at a level slightly above the adjacent street (approximately one foot higher). This allows for proper drainage of the ramp area in front of the apparatus bays, eliminating the need for costly drainage structures.

Soil conditions. Soils with a good load-carrying capacity require less expensive foundations than those with poor load-carrying capacities. Fire stations one to two stories high need soils with a two-ton capacity—every square foot’of ground can carry two tons of building load. Soils with as low as oneton capacity will also do; however, anything less than that will require special foundation conditions, which add to the cost of the project.

Compacted sand and gravel is generally the easiest soil to work with. Rock that is too high or not stable enough requires blasting. Avoid sites with a lot of clay, fill, or bog whenever possible. These conditions require driving piles or removing poor soil and replacing it with controlled fill (sand and gravel carefully placed and compacted for proper bearing capacity) or digging the foundations deeper titan normally required.

Aside from the load-bearing capacity of the soil, the level of the water table can also cause problems. If the foundations are built below the water level, the contractor will have to pump excavations while working, adding to the cost of the project. High water table levels also interfere with plans for a cellar, necessitating special waterproof-type construction.

It is unlikely that you will know the exact nature of the soil on your site prior to purchase; however, data on the general soil condition in the area should be available, as well as test borings previously taken for prior construction on the site or adjacent sites. Once you are actually engaged in the design of your structure, test borings are necessary to determine actual bearing capacities and water level in order to design the foundations properly. Under normal conditions, the architect and structural consultant can design the foundations based on the results of these borings. Certain unusual situations, however, may require the service of an additional consultant—a soils or geotechnical engineering firm.

FIRE STATION LAYOUT

The next step in the construction process is to discuss exactly what goes into the layout and design of a fire station.

Apparatus bays. The apparatus bays are the most important part of any fire station and are thus the focal point around which all other parts are arranged. The apparatus bays can be drive-through or single-entry. The best choice, space permitting, is the drivethrough bay, which reduces the turnaround time for the apparatus and eliminates the difficulties of backing up. Dimensions are based on an average 30foot pumper with circulation space around the vehicle. A 15-foot width allows for a 12-foot door width with circulation space. Single-bay doors are generally preferable to double-width doors, since they are less prone to maintenance problems. In addition, particularly in colder climates, single-bay doors reduce the amount of heat lost from constant opening. Double-width doors are useful, however, when the full 15-foot bay width cannot be accommodated. A single 22or 24-foot-wide door can with some compromise take the place of two 12-foot doors with a 3-foot pier in between.

Door heights are generally 12 feet, although certain aerial trucks may require doors of 13 or 14 feet. Airport crash vehicles definitely require larger doors. The area above the head of the door opening that must clear the door apparatus should generally be 20 to 24 inches, which is the space required for a standard sectional door operating mechanism. Doors are available that operate in spaces as little as seven to 11 inches; however, these types of doors are prone to operational difficulties and maintenance headaches. The doors in most apparatus bays are electrically operated and are controlled by push-button stations at the door jamb with a second, remote location in the dispatch office. The use of radio-controlled operators from the apparatus is becoming more and more common, particularly in smaller stations where there is often no one left behind to close the doors after the apparatus leaves. A fully equipped apparatus bay contains items such as the following:

• Battery charger outlets. Such outlets are often of the overhead reel type, with a special quick disconnect coupling on the end of the reel so they disconnect as the apparatus leaves the bays. They must be located near the charger locations on the apparatus— generally toward the front, directly behind the driver’s side of the cab.
• Booster fill reels. These are hose reels for filling the booster tanks on the apparatus that generally utilize inchand-a-half hose with an electric motor rewind. Ceiling or wall mounted, they can serve two or more bays, depending
• on the length of hose selected.
• Tackboards, chalkboards, and mapcases. These are located in the apparatus room for quick reference to indicate the status of apparatus, crew assignments, and alarm location.
• Turnout gear racks. In many volunteer firehouses, these are located along the walls of the apparatus bays; in many paid departments, turnout gear is kept in a separate locker room or bunk room. Racks must be made of sturdy, waterproof construction, since they take a substantial amount of abuse. It is helpful to locate a sink near turnout gear racks so that turnout gear can be cleaned after you return from a fire. A large stainlesssteel or cast-stone sink with a spray rinse hose is suitable.
• Electronics. Computer printouts or video display terminals in the apparatus bays give location and routing information and other pertinent data directly to the apparatus driver.
• Directly related to the apparatus bay but not always located in the bays themselves are a number of other important functions.
• Hose facilities. Space must be provided to store, wash, and dry hose. Some hose needs no washing or drying. The hose tower, rarely used today, is a fairly efficient way of handling hose. Many departments use gasor electric-fired dryers. These relatively large pieces of equipment are often placed in alcoves directly off the apparatus bay. Hose washing is often done with separate hose washing machines, which are usually portable and wheeled out from a closet or alcove adjacent to the dryers for use. While most hose is stored on the apparatus, most fire stations usually require additional hose rack space.
• SCBA fill. Many modern SCBA systems are completely self-contained and can stay on the apparatus floor if necessary. For filling a large number of bottles, however, set aside a separate room.
• Haz mat. It has become common practice to include emergency showers and eye-wash sinks directly adjacent to the apparatus bays.
• EMS. Most EMS services do not require a special facility, although some firehouses include special short bays for ambulances. Separate EMS storage facili-
• ties are also a good idea.
• Dispatch. The dispatch facilities in a fire station can range from a shelf and writing desk in the apparatus bay to foil suites for 24-hour manning. These suites contain a large dispatch office with a console, a bunk room, a bathroom, computer equipment, and a selfcontained kitchen. A manned dispatch center is usually located directly adjacent to the apparatus bays so the dispatcher can supervise traffic and dispatch of apparatus at all times. Unmanned radio alcoves can be located almost anywhere convenient to the apparatus bay.
• Apparatus maintenance. It is not advisable to maintain apparatus inside the apparatus bays—this leads to delay in response time and interference with active apparatus. When vehicle maintenance is done on-site, it is best to provide separate maintenance bays. These bays can become quite elaborate, since the maintenance of such a vehicle requires a substantial amount of equipment. Adjustable, three-post hydraulic lifts or portable electric lifts capable of lifting fire apparatus can be used for maintenance, as well as overhead hoists and central lubrication systems providing oil, transmission fluid, and lubricant to the maintenance bays. Compressed air and heavy-duty electric circuits are usually needed.
• Training facilities. The simplest training facility is a classroom for showing training films and slide shows and giving lectures and demonstrations. A room that seats 15 to 20 people with projection screens, chalkboards, and tackboards will suffice. Physical training facilities are becoming more and more common. Some firehouses include provisions for aft exercise room. A specially designed wall can serve as a training tower.
• Offices. A small substation requires only one office for the officers assigned to that station. A district headquarters, on the other hand, requires multiple offices for the commissioners, officers, secretaries, and treasurers of the district, department, and company. Include fireproof record vaults as well as uniform storage closets.
• Manning. The manning of the fire
• station varies according to both its size and function. A small volunteer substation probably requires only a small room for volunteers to gather after responding to a fire. A 24-hour paid department requires a bunk room, foil kitchen facilities, and a day room for recreation and gathering—a full residence for the firefighters on duty. It is important in laying out these spaces to design areas for privacy. It is best for response time if the day room and kitchen are relatively close to the apparatus bays; however, the bunk room is
• best located where the noise and fumes of the apparatus bays do not interfere with rest. A large volunteer headquarters facility usually has recreation and kitchen facilities and possibly a bunk room for use during emergency situations.
• Meeting facilities. A paid department or small volunteer company generally requires just a classroom for small meetings. A larger department, however, often requires a meeting room that holds 300 people or more, with appropriate kitchen facilities.