This facility received the Career 2 Notable award in the 2024 Firehouse Station Design Awards. Find the full list of winners here.
Station 9 combines traditional emergency service to the surrounding area with aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) service to the Denton Enterprise Airport, which accommodates more than 200,000 operations per year.
The station intersects the airport’s security boundary, with the department’s 3,000-gallon ARFF RIV 4-WD Squad responding to the runways at the rear, while other apparatus respond to an area of massive growth, including a large nearby warehouse and manufacturing area.
A two-story design was utilized to reduce the building footprint on the limited site, placing the second-floor living areas closer to the bays to reduce response times and allowing for an elevated patio/observation deck that’s equipped with air-traffic speakers and a view of airplane traffic.
The roof design hearkens to traditional barrelroof airplane hangars. The building brick ties into the adjacent terminal building, which in turn was updated with exterior metal panels to match the new station. Interior wall finish that’s near the dining table mimics riveted airplane cladding.
The four-bay station houses seven personnel, providing six individual firefighter dormitories, three gender-neutral restroom/showers, a station officer suite, a report-writing area, a fitness area that has a roll-up door that provides access to a covered exterior space, and a police department landing office. The dayroom features tiered seating and a view down into the bay below and is separated from the kitchen/dining area to provide a dark/quiet recharge area away from busy activity.
Other unique features include:
- Two fire poles for quick egress from the Cold Zone.
- Custom infrared sauna in the Warm Zone.
- Locker vestibules that provide privacy and allow oncoming shift access without waking crew members who are sleeping.
- Laundry chute in the second-floor hallway down to the laundry room.
- Security grilles at bay doors that permit natural ventilation.
Architect/Firm Name: Martinez Architects
