This facility received a Career 2 Notable award in the 2023 Firehouse Station Design Awards. Find the full list of winners here.
Orange Beach Fire Station No. 3 was designed with a deep understanding of the unique challenges of island life, which is prone to hurricane-force winds and storm surges. The project aimed to create a stateof-the-art facility that not only serves as an emergency response center but also acts as a beacon of hope during natural disasters.
The small, beach community of Orange Beach has only 8,717 residents, yet it sees more than 8 million tourists each year and many emergency operations. Station No. 3 is located strategically on higher ground and is shielded by the trees of the backcountry trails of Gulf State Park. The station reduces response times significantly and enhances overall efficiency.
The station was designed with reinforced masonry walls, 160-mph hurricane-rated doors, windows and roofing and a backup generator to ensure uninterrupted operation during inevitable power outages.
The apparatus bay has four deep bays, four storage rooms, a bio room, a decontamination room, a bunker gear room, and a small break room that’s equipped with a refrigerator and cabinetry. The living spaces include a fitness room; a kitchen that has individual refrigerators and pantries for each shift; a dining room that seats 12 and doubles as an educational training center; a dayroom; individual bathrooms; and 8 dormitory rooms that can sleep as many as 12 additional personnel. A cooking porch on the back, which faces Gulf State Park, provides space where firefighters can relax and grill when not on a call.
Architect/Firm Name: McCollough Architecture
