Plain Township New Fire Station

Services

• Master Planning
• Facility Assessments
• Space Utilization
• Visioning
• Estimating/Scheduling
• Architecture
• Interior Design
• Construction Services

Site Orientation

Schneider Park was chosen as the new location as it was less than a minute from three schools and closer to new development, improving overall fire response times. The infrastructure was already in place to service the fire station and parking could be shared between the two facilities.

Project Goals

• Blend the new fire station with the surrounding park for maximum efficiency
• Provide on-site training opportunities to keep staff current
• Update technology to provide better ways to serve the community
• Provide an advanced fire station while keeping a traditional appearance and extending the life of the building

Street Presence

The next step was to determine how it would work for the new fire station to share the space with the surrounding park. Keeping the fire departments’ vision in mind, the new fire station was designed with a traditional look and feel. Initial designs had a more rustic wooden building that blended with the park, more like a ranger station. The final designs include red and brown bricks and a stone façade that also blended well with the natural park environment while extending the life of the fire station and reducing future maintenance costs.

Building Organization

The 9,000 sf apparatus bay can hold eight emergency fire vehicles and has four large doors at the front and back for ease of entry and exit. Hooks and hoists were added to the bay area to allow the firefighters to practice repelling onsite.

Project Highlights

• Conducted a study for a new central “hub” fire station at Schneider Street to serve the surrounding fire stations and create a shared space between the park and fire station
• Designed to better serve the community, decrease response times, accommodate future equipment, become more efficient and maximize training within the fire station space
• Incorporates state-of-the-art alerting system, full building back-up electric generation, full-time department (24/7) accommodations and training (classroom and physical) facilities
• The design extends the life of the building by planning for future equipment needs with deeper than average apparatus bays and a second floor that can be expanded over the first floor roof
• Staff accommodations include a kitchen and lounge, a reading room, sleeping quarters, an exterior patio, an exercise room, a training classroom, offices for administrative staff, a laundry room, an equipment storage room and even a tower so hoses can be hung to dry