When someone attends a F.I.E.R.O. Fire Station Design Symposium, they often leave by saying, “I would have never known!” No doubt, this will be the case again when at this year’s symposium.
The saying, “We don’t know what we don’t know” is most appropriate in fire station design and construction. As the late, great Fire Chief Alan Brunacini said, we need to “make the unknown known.” A wealth of information will be shared among the speakers, the networking, the exhibits, and the Design Awards Program.
And when building a fire station, making bad design decisions because you didn’t know is an expensive gamble. It means you’ll have to live with those design mistakes for the next 50 years.
The thing is, when I hear that phrase – “I would have never known” – each year, it’s almost always about the different things learned. While everyone who attends and utters those words are building or remodeling fire stations, each is coming from a unique place, with their own set of issues.
One theme that is clearly front and center is change. The fire service, and the world around it, is changing at a faster pace than I have ever experienced. Again, these design and building decisions will have decades-long consequences. Getting it right, knowing as best we can the unknown, is critical.
Each attendee will find that “I would have never known” moment based on their own needs. Yet here are a few presentations of note that really address the fast-changing world we must navigate:
Dr. Heather Stapleton from Duke University will talk about air-monitoring research she is doing in some local fire stations in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina. Another presentation is a report from F.I.E.R.O. on its comprehensive, ongoing nationwide survey on fire stations.
Don’t miss our presentations on remodeling.
It has been said that probably 80% to 90% of all fire stations are in need of varying degrees of upgrades or total rebuild. Consider how the fire service has evolved through the years, which impacts fire station design. Horsedrawn rigs were replaced with motorized rigs. Motorized rigs went from being small, narrow trucks to tall and wide trucks. Now, new stations should be able to accommodate electricity-powered fire apparatus. And look at the number of support type vehicles now within fleets that were not thought of in the past.
Many current stations were built prior to the fire service getting involved in EMS response, HAZMAT response, and now all-hazards response. Many all-volunteer stations have transitioned to combination or fully paid stations.
Females entered the fire service, creating gender challenges. Fitness started being integrated into the station. Cancer rates among firefighters have led to contamination-control issues. Sleep deprivation has now become one of the biggest challenges impacting the wellness of firefighters and sleeping quarters design has a direct impact on sleep quality. And holistic design within a station has a direct impact on behavioral issues.
Yes, change is coming at us full speed and we can’t build or retool a fire station with our heads in the sand.
I would go one step further and suggest that where possible, bring your boss to the symposium. Having your mayor, council liaison or town manager learning and asking questions will greatly smooth out the budgeting and planning part of your process back home.
There is still time to register for the symposium and discount hotel rates were expanded after the initial blocks sold out. The symposium will take place Sept. 21-24 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Greenville, S.C. Follow this link to register and learn more about the classes and presentations.
Do you have a newly built or remodeled fire station you’re proud of? Enter it in our Design Awards Program. The Design Awards program is centered around a team of jurors from all regions of the country who are current or retired fire service personnel and are architects. It is a true competition, not a pay-to-win contest.
Click here to learn more about entering your station.
I hope to see you at the symposium. And be sure to flag me down to tell me what you would have never known.
