Planning Insights for Fire Station Design & Construction

When a community chooses to invest in a fire station, it’s a major capital improvement project that is expected to last for 50+ years. That means fire stations must be built in ways that not only make sense for today’s realities but are also futureproof. 

For municipalities planning a new station, making smart decisions before design or construction begins can mean a more functional and better building for personnel. Here are just a few of the questions we consider when planning a fire station using the design-build process: 

Equipment Bays & Access

What major equipment does your station house? Apparatus bays are a large part of a fire station, and these need to be planned for the fire trucks and ambulances you have today as well as future needs. For example, is your community growing? How will this impact your equipment? Will your fleet include smaller response vehicles like ATVs, or community outreach equipment like a smoke house? We’ll also consider the support equipment needed within your bays, including HVAC and plumbing. If you need to wash down vehicles quickly after service, these infrastructure items should be planned for in advance. 

In addition to planning for bays, we’ll need to consider access and re-entry for trucks. We’ll map out a drive that allows fire trucks to enter/exit smoothly, even onto busy streets. If a turnaround is needed (or part of your local code), we’ll plan the building around it.

Living Quarters & Wellness Spaces

Today’s fire stations are built around overall health and wellness, separating gear handling and living spaces in new ways. This can include gender separated spaces and private or semi-private sleeping quarters. Fire stations should also include places to change, bathe and store personal items in lockers or locker rooms. From a wellness perspective, we’ve constructed fire stations with dedicated gym areas for strength training and general physical wellbeing.

Gathering Spaces

There’s usually at least one firefighter at every station that loves to cook. Kitchens can encourage health and wellness by including the equipment a team needs to prepare and share both personal and group meals. These kitchens should also include group dining areas. 

Outside of the kitchen, fire stations can offer traditional living areas that house TVs or game consoles, further encouraging teamwork and camaraderie. A front or back porch offers flexible outdoor spaces for grilling and relaxing. Many of the fire stations we’ve built feature prominent front porches – enhancing the aesthetics of the building while creating an important gathering space.

Functional Spaces

Work benches, offices, storage rooms, laundry facilities, training spaces and community rooms are often built into fire stations. These functional areas can be multipurpose and should be outfitted with the right infrastructure for flexibility. HVAC, plumbing and electrical must all be mapped out ahead of time. 

In addition, some fire stations include a storm shelter area for personnel. These areas need to have the proper framing and backup infrastructure. This allows firefighters to remain safe during major weather events, so they’re better prepared to serve the community. Fire stations are mission-critical facilities, so backup power, energy independence, durable materials, severe-weather preparedness and continuity of operations are increasingly important design considerations.

Build Method & Exterior Considerations

Every fire station has different needs, and the design-build method can help pinpoint the best construction process for the application, budget and geographic area. For example:

• The pole barn method can be used in equipment areas that house trucks, lockers and work benches. This can help save on costs and provide added flexibility for updates.
• The stick build/wood framed method provides a tighter infrastructure for gathering and living areas like kitchens, gyms, offices and bedrooms. 
• Re-engineered steel with standing seam roof can be used for fire station additions.

STAR has utilized all of these build methods for our fire station projects. In one rebuild, we were able to utilize existing fire station items, repurposing stone caps and the fire station bell. Our goal is to construct fire station buildings that make community members proud, incorporate iconic elements that represent the community, and provide the most cost effective elements for public funding.