This station received the Volunteer/Combination Fire Station Gold Award in Firehouse's 2015 Station Design Awards. Find the full list of winners here.
The Westlake Volunteer Fire Department is comprised of 71 volunteers and 26 paid employees who serve Katy, Texas.
The department wants to encourage volunteers to participate in the day-to-day activities of the department and their previous station couldn’t accommodate staff or additional apparatus.
The new station was built on a four acre site that features secured staff parking with covered and electrically powered command vehicle stalls. Natural daylight illuminates the six double deep bays which are fully equipped with exhaust fans integrated into the alerting system, specialty cord reels, air hoses, truck fills, commercial trench drains, and maintenance free floors.
The first floor, open to the public, consists of administration spaces, a 165 person training room, and a break room with pass through window to serve banquets from the lobby, while living spaces are privately located on the second floor.
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Administration wanted a place that the volunteers and their families would be welcome, as they’re devoting precious free-time to serve the community. The kitchen and balcony patio can host large groups while others relax in the day-room, or play pool in the game room.
A watch office provides quiet space for paperwork, overlooks the bays through fire rated windows, and doubles as an independent command center during emergencies.
The two large bunk rooms solve gender issues and accommodate volunteers overnight, while the hallway has individual lockers for all the staff. Additionally, unlike the old station, this station meets all ADA standards, allowing the department to be an active partner within the neighborhood by encouraging daily interaction with the public and allowing the community to utilize the facility for meetings/ banquets.
Architect: Brown Reynolds Watford Architects
