The Town of Superior’s Fire Hall was failing, undersized and did not offer a safe decontamination environment for fire and rescue personnel. TKDA designed a new 7,310 GSF stand-alone precast concrete building on a rural lot adjacent to the Town Hall. The facility’s five apparatus bays have 14’-0” overhead doors, point-of-origin vehicle exhaust system and electrical and compressed air connections; a gross decontamination shower with oversized trap strainer; a decontamination room for removing gear; two private, fully-accessible shower rooms; a gear locker storage room with under-locker ventilation to dry gear; and an office, laundry room and SCBA clean fill room. Sustainability features included a heat recovery system, LED lighting, low-VOC emitting building materials and continuous building envelope insulation.
The project faced many challenges. The rural site depended on a private well and septic system. The apparatus water storage and fill system, along with a holding tank for wastewater were designed to minimize sudden demands on the systems. The small township also had a very tight budget and limited means for funding. TKDA sought efficient, cost-effective design solutions and worked with the general contractor on value-engineering solutions which satisfied all stakeholders. Finally, the very involved Superior Township community did not always support the wants and needs of the Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department. TKDA attended public meetings and supported our client and the user group. We listened to and implemented suggestions as far as the code would allow without compromising life safety or overall design intent.