Fire Station Headquarters
Silver Medal Winner from National Fire Station Design and Construction Awards by Fire Chief Magazine
Our state-of-the-art facility was designed in the “Prairie” style--a low, linear style pioneered by Frank Lloyd Wright in the 1920’s. It is situated to make full use of the sun’s seasonal positions to minimize interior temperature changes. The facility is 23,900 square feet in total, with 9,100 square feet dedicated to the apparatus floor. There are five double bays, three of which are drive through, and 13,800 square feet for support space, personnel quarters, and administration.
Ground breaking for the Headquarters on Cox Street was April, 2003. The building was completed in October 2004 and dedicated in June of 2005.
The first floor houses the Emergency Operations Center, a training classroom that converts, during emergencies, into a operations center for all Town agencies. The classroom features smart technology with multiple video capabilities.
The Dispatch Room (Watch Room) operates 24 hours a day. It features the latest radio interoperability technology. The department can communicate with departmental personnel, other town departments, and surrounding fire departments. There are redundant communication consoles that can be operated simultaneously. The heart of the system is our UHF Public Safety Radio Equipment, controlled from a Radio and Telephone Room on the main floor.
The building was designed to take advantage of “green” products that would not adversely affect the environment and the health of personnel. Materials such as linoleum were chosen for their lack of “off-gassing.”
A training tower was added to the property during construction. This 3-story simulated building provides the department with a site for ongoing in-service training needs. There is a fire protection sprinkler to give firefighters a view of actual live sprinkler activation for preventing extensive water damage. A fire suppression standpipe system allows firefighters to practice advancing hose lines in larger buildings. Heavy-duty rope anchor points located on each level allow firefighters to safely perform high angle rescue training using only rescue ropes. There is a simulated manhole on the roof, allowing our 15-member Technical Rescue Team to sharpen their skills in confined space rescue situations. The tower can also be filled with theatrical smoke in order to provide firefighters with a sense of reality during training scenarios.