A recent article in SecurityInfoWatch stated that according to the National Fire Department Registry, 43 percent of fire stations in the U.S. are over 40 years old and urgently need renovations. These facilities often lack the latest equipment, technology, and infrastructure to serve their communities effectively. In addition, research on firefighters’ physical and mental health reveals multiple factors, including cancer-causing carcinogens in fire stations.
Is your fire station 40 years old or older? Attendees at the 2024 Station Design Conference shared a wide range of reasons besides age to build new fire stations. Many volunteer fire departments are building new stations to transition to combination departments. Others shared the growth of the community, the department or an increased number of emergency vehicles.
Plans to build or renovate a new station doesn’t happen overnight—unless from a natural or manmade disaster.
So, here are four key questions to help determine if it’s time to start planning for a new fire station or renovate your department’s current station.
1. Is the turnout gear still located in the apparatus bay?
Twenty years ago, Mary McGrath, (ret.) architect, wrote an article about fire departments providing dedicated turnout rooms. Initial talk about the increase of cancer in firefighters was thought to be from exposure to burning combustibles and debris. As research evolved, it has shown that PFAS (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) used in the protective layers of firefighter turnout gear have also been linked to cancer.
Subsequently, fire departments removed turnout gear from apparatus bays to a separate room, protected from UV light and with a separate exhaust system. For the past 10 years, the Hot Zone design and procedures have allowed decontaminating turnout gear as a preventive procedure.
2. Are firefighters still sleeping in dorms with an overhead alerting system?
Sleep deprivation is a serious health issue, particularly for firefighters on a shift. During the 2022 Station Design Conference, Architect Craig Carter, BKV Group, spoke about sleep deprivation and its effects on the body. Carter cited recent research stating firefighting was the #1 most sleep-deprived occupation.
Carter shared, “Humans are noisy when they sleep—as much as 90 decibels. Eliminate the common dorm room even if you have cubicles.”
Sleeping room designs offer two healthier options. Individual sleep rooms and a separate door provide a sense of security and privacy. Three lockers on the exterior of the room provide easy access for shift changes. Another option is a larger, individual room with three mattresses, so a staff member on shift gets a dedicated mattress. Both room designs allow individual temperature control for each room and an overhead fan for adjustable air circulation.
3. Do women firefighters share bathrooms and locker rooms?
We’ve heard too many stories of women firefighters using the captain’s bathroom or putting a sign on the general bathroom when she used the facility. Women firefighters deserve separate bathroom facilities.
RRM Design Group’s Mike Scott (principal) and Kathryn Hicks (project manager), expanded the concept of fire station bathrooms not only for women firefighters but for all firefighters. Their 2023 conference presentation included gender identity, sexual orientation, race, and religion. According to Scott and Hicks, the goal of designing a fire station is equity, inclusivity and privacy.
A separate toilet area within an individual sleeping room, seen in recent Station Design Award entries, offers the most privacy. It also eliminates the need for a locker room and removes any segregation by gender but will require more square feet for the restrooms.
4. Is your fire station and parking area secure?
Security in fire stations and parking areas continues to require technological upgrades. Urban unrest security and hardening from manmade hazards are becoming more important. A focus on security design measures is critical to the security and operations of the fire station and its members.
A need for increased security within the fire station and vehicle access was part of Ray Holliday and Marcus Gibbon, BRW Architects, at the 2024 Station Design Conference. Among the recommendations in their presentation, the duo suggested punch-code access, which is less expensive than card readers; bollards to protect equipment and the building, and secure fencing around the rear of the station.
Finding answers at SDC 2025
These are just some of the question you need to think about if you are trying to decide whether to renovate or design a new fire station or training center. The 2025 Station Design Conference, May 19–22, in Glendale, AZ, will address these topics and many more all providing help at any stage of designing a new facility.
Visit www.fhstationdesign.com for the Conference Program. Help with your project starts here.
Janet A. Wilmoth | Special Projects Director
Janet Wilmoth grew up in a family of firefighters in a suburb of Chicago. Wilmoth, who is owner of Wilmoth Associates, worked with Fire Chief magazine for 27 years until it closed in 2013. She currently is the project director for Firehouse, overseeing the Station Design Conference.
