Local fire departments need the proper accommodations to provide essential services to our communities. Townships in need of a new fire station are often faced with limited budgets and tight timelines for construction. Pre-engineered metal buildings are a cost-effective and efficient option for a locality’s new fire station.

The Benefits of Using Metal for a Fire Station

Metal building fire stations make an efficient and economical choice for your department’s facility. Consider the following benefits of using metal for a fire station structure:

Perfect for the Apparatus Bay and Bay Doors

A station’s apparatus bay is the lifeblood of the fire response operation. Pre-engineered metal fire station buildings can be customized to fit any size roll-up bay doors within the structural steel framing. In addition, the metal structure can easily be modified to accommodate larger or additional bay doors in the future.

Cost-Effective

Compared to traditional timber, brick, or concrete buildings, steel buildings are usually the most cost-effective option for a fire station facility. Furthermore, a pre-engineered steel building offers additional cost savings, as the production is optimized at an offsite facility before being erected onsite.

Quick to Erect

With detailed instructions and a qualified labor crew, a pre-engineered metal fire station building can be erected in just a few weeks. For example, the Windham Township Volunteer Fire Co. in Rome, PA erected their new 6,600-square-foot firehouse in just a week and three days.

Highly Adaptable Interiors

Pre-engineered metal buildings offer complete interior customization. You can review multiple interior layout options with your designer before deciding on the best one. Down the road, metal buildings are easily modified or expanded to adapt to new operations.

Significant Exterior Design Options for Civic Aesthetics

Metal fire station buildings can fit right in with the rest of main street. Your fire company will have complete control over the structure’s body and accent colors, and you can choose to incorporate decorative finishes like natural stone accents.

General Aspects of a Fire Station

A fire station must balance the needs of fire response protocols and day-to-day activities for the firefighters who occupy the facility 24 hours a day, seven days a week. At a minimum, a fire station should include the following components:

Apparatus Bay

The apparatus bay stores the fire trucks and emergency response vehicles. Large bay doors are situated on each end of the bay, allowing drive-through access for the response vehicles.

Maintenance Bay

The maintenance bay is located adjacent to the apparatus bay. This bay supports vehicle maintenance and cleaning as well as equipment maintenance and cleaning for items like personal protective equipment, breathing apparatuses, and fire extinguishers.

Laundry/Clean Room

Washing firefighting gear and keeping the facility itself clean is a job in and of itself. For this reason, fire stations include a dedicated space for laundry machines and storage of other cleaning equipment.

Training Room

Administrative and training areas are essential for firehouse operations. The training room typically features a classroom-type set-up, with large conference tables and chairs and a large viewing screen.

Kitchen and Dining

The kitchen and dining spaces are located in the residential section of the fire facility, usually off-limits to the public. In smaller fire stations, the dining room can double as the training room.

Dorm Room

Also a part of the residential area, dorm rooms provide a place for firefighters to rest while on-call. In some fire stations, the dorm room is one large congregated space with individual beds or bunk beds; it can also consist of private sleeping quarters.

Gym

An onsite gym allows firefighters to incorporate a physical fitness routine into their 24-hour shift. These gyms are usually not the most elaborate, but usually offer basic weightlifting and cardio equipment.

General Storage

A fire station’s general storage room stores spare equipment, stock safety gear, medical supplies, vehicle parts, hazardous materials, and more.

Design Layout of a Metal Building Fire Station

An optimized fire station layout ensures fire response is fast and efficient. Important factors to consider when designing metal building fire stations include:

Apparatus Bay

The apparatus bay should be centrally located between the maintenance bay and the residential and administrative areas. Adequately sizing the apparatus bay is critical—it must fit the varying-sized vehicles in the fleet, including any future upgrades. The apparatus bay must have a vehicle exhaust removal system, compressed air lines, and hot and cold water connections.

Bay Doors

The bay doors should accommodate the largest potential vehicle housed in the apparatus bay. In the event of a power failure, the doors should allow manual operation in addition to electrical control.

Critical Components of a Fire Station

HVAC

Like other public service buildings, efficient systems promote efficient operations. Therefore, firehouses should utilize HVAC systems that require minimal maintenance and keep energy costs down as public funds can be better used elsewhere.

Radiant Floor Heating

Another option for keeping energy costs down is to incorporate radiant floor heating in pre-engineered metal building fire station design. Radiant floor heating is a system of hot-water tubes and electrical wires placed within a building’s floor. The radiant heating system heats the floor, which begins to heat other objects in the room. This type of heating is more efficient and effective than warming the air.

Laundry Facilities

Laundry facilities should be located on an exterior wall and away from sleeping quarters. Consider the size of the units and utility requirements for your specific washer and dryer models before designing the laundry facility.

Kitchen

Similarly, choose your kitchen appliances early on in the design process. The kitchen in a firehouse often uses industrial-grade appliances to accommodate the continuous production of large quantities of food. Use shop drawing dimensions to design kitchen cabinets and countertops around the appliances.

Going Green with a Metal Building Fire Station

Efforts to design energy-efficient metal building fire stations are rewarded with reduced energy costs. Consider incorporating the following green energy systems into your fire station design:

Energy-Efficient Windows

Energy-efficient windows are either double- or triple-pane and feature low-emissivity (low-E) glass coatings. These features reduce heat loss and keep energy costs down.

Vegetative Roofs

Also known as green roofs, vegetative roofs are layers of living plants located on top of a building’s roof. A vegetative roof is a plausible option if your metal building fire station has a flat roof or a slightly sloped roof. Green roofs reduce the heat absorbed through your roof to reduce energy consumption.

Solar Paneling

Many fire departments are incorporating solar panels into their fire station facility designs. Solar panels can be installed on a firehouse’s roof or nearby land. The solar energy absorbed by solar panels can help meet the energy demand of your facility.

Metal Building Fire Station Case Study from Allied Steel Buildings

The Windham Township in Rome, PA desperately needed their own facility after being surrounded by other businesses in a local complex. The department worked with Allied Steel Buildings to procure a 6,600 square-foot pre-engineered metal building for their new firehouse. The new facility offers much-needed space for the firefighters serving the local Rome community.

Read more about the Windham Township Volunteer Fire Co.’s new metal fire station facility.

Select a Metal Building for Your Fire Station Build from Allied Steel Buildings

Considering a pre-engineered building for your local fire station? Contact Allied Steel Buildings today to discuss your project expectations and budget, and begin designing a custom metal fire station for your community.