Learning Objectives at the Station Design Conference

This year, the 11th annual Station Design Conference will offer more than 64 programs that will focus on helping fire chiefs, project managers and building committees design and build the best facility for their department.

With so many conference programs from which to choose, preplanning before you arrive will help to bring value to you and your project management. The best approach: Look beyond the title of a conference presentation to the sessions’ descriptions to identify opportunities for questions that you have about your project to be answered.

Begin by deciding where you are in your project. Are you making lists of needs for a new station? Sketching ideas or working with a building committee? Further along and sending out requests for proposals (RFPs) or studying blueprints? Making decisions on flooring, wall coverings and laundry equipment? It never is too early or too late to learn the latest trends. Wherever you are in the process, research and knowledge will save you and your team time and money.

After you register for the Conference, check out the 2025 Conference Program page on the website for the event. The conference is divided into four tracks, and all of the tracks are open to all attendees.

Remember, all of the Station Design Conference presenters are vetted for their knowledge and experience, and they will be accessible throughout the conference—not just during their presentations—for questions and discussions.

Furthermore, each day will be filled with networking opportunities and chances to meet with more than 120 exhibitors that specialize in services and products for fire and public safety facilities (as well as law enforcement facilities).

Intro to new stations

Annually, 80 percent of the Station Design Conference audience comprises first-time attendees. Numerous programs are designed for such folks as a means to provide a foundation for designing a new facility, including an overview of the project process to outline what’s ahead.

In “Programming Your Fire Department for Success: Laying Out the Foundation for Effective Station Design,” Michael Scott of RRM Design Group will explain how to create a well-thought-out program of requirements, whether for a new or renovation project. For example, an effective program defines facility size, determines individual space requirements and shapes the project budget. Real-world examples of optimizing building size will be shared.

“Navigating Your Plans and Specs” will introduce the fundamentals of construction nomenclature, symbols and the seemingly endless acronyms that can make drawings and specifications seem like a different language. Brett Hanson and Jeff Humphreys of Mackenzie will spell out different types of construction documents, how drawings are organized, how to navigate through each, and what basic drawings, legends, notes and schedules mean to you as the client.

Rob Manns of MW Studios will untangle the complexities of tailoring a facility design to improve response times in “Response Times and Deployment Models.” A heavy emphasis will be placed on where and how turnout gear can be stored. The methodology for calculating response times also will be shared.

“Engagement Essentials: Turning Community Apathy into Enthusiasm” will have Rebecca Hopkins and Jeff McElravy of Tecton Architects providing an interactive crash course on the innovative tools and technologies that are available to help to create investment in a project, drive meaningful conversations and build consensus with confidence.

“The Dark Art of Engineering,” which will be presented by Dennis Ross of H2M architects + engineers, will explain why value engineering isn’t cutting costs and counting widgets. It’s about planning, feasibility, design and construction, and Ross will guide attendees through the tools that can be used to successfully design and build the optimal facility within budget.

A session of which we’re particularly proud results from the work that Firehouse put into its identification of the 2024 Station Design Awards. “Spaces that Matter: Insights from the 2024 Station Design Awards Jury” will find Eric Pros (DS Architecture), Lynn Reda (Little Diversified Architectural Consulting) and Jerry Streich (Capstone) providing a behind-the-scenes look into the judging process and insights on what set top-tier designs apart from the rest of the entrants. They’ll use this to point out how innovative concepts become industry standards to elevate public safety facilities.

Statutes and standards

Municipalities expose themselves to potential litigation for failure to address violations of Occupational Safety and Health Administration, NFPA, and other federal, state and local regulations and standards. In “Fire Station Legal Liability: What Are Your Liabilities and Corrective Options When Your Firehouse Isn’t Safe,” Robert Mitchell of Wendel/Mitchell Associates will explain in detail how to use statutes and standards to support a safe workplace and to make stronger arguments to take action.

Communications

“Designing Mission-Critical Communications with Broadband into Public Safety Facilities,” by Kevin Nida of First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) and Vaughan Miller of K2M Design, will lay out the unique requirements in public safety facilities for FirstNet, which is the nationwide public safety broadband network. Nida and Miller will dissect the need for proper radio frequency engineering with the specific components and subsystems that are involved in constructing and equipping public safety facilities for FirstNet.

Natural disasters

Last year’s powerful hurricanes and this year’s wildfires devastated several portions of the country. Tornadoes, floods and ice storms also have no boundaries. What happens when a fire station, multiple stations or an entire department is damaged or destroyed in a natural disaster? Every fire department must take steps to prepare before a natural disaster happens. “Preparing for the Unthinkable: What Happens When Your Station Is Destroyed by a Natural Disaster” will help attendees learn how to position themselves to navigate the FEMA recovery process. The session will be presented by Jay Chase of Chase Marshall.

A sure thing

The Station Design Conference was designed to be a resource for fire chiefs and officers, project managers, building committees and municipal leaders who are in the process of designing and building new stations or other facilities.

Since 2014, Firehouse has provided specialized and experienced individuals to share their knowledge to help the fire service (now expanded to law enforcement) build a station to meet the needs of the department, the community and for the future. The Station Design Conference is the most popular and widely attended conference in this realm for a reason. We promise, you won’t be disappointed.