PGAL: Fire Facility Design

FIRE FACILITY DESIGN

OUR FIRM Merging the latest technology with timeless design, PGAL creates spaces for clients and communities across the country.

What sets PGAL apart from other architectural firms is our sincere passion to seek the deepest understanding of our Client’s program, site, challenges, and the communities they serve, to create a solution exclusively and uniquely crafted to fit them.

PGAL’s design philosophy on public safety projects is embedded in our belief that each location and department is unique, and the combination of place, building, operations, and community, gives direction to our design approach.

alexandria • atlanta • austin • boca raton • dallas/fort worth • denver • hoboken • houston • las vegas • los angeles • salt lake city • san diego

pgal .co m

PROJECT EXPERIENCE PGAL is known for working hand-in-hand with cities, counties, and ESDs to help them realize their emergency services projects. This experience, expertise, and proactive application of critical lessons learned has earned us a reputation as leading professionals in the fire and emergency operations facility design industry.

As public safety/emergency services have evolved from the original mission of responding to calls for help, so has the public’s perception and expectations of emergency services facilities. The PGAL team brings unparalleled design resources from 77 years of experience. We understand how these departments have evolved and what elements modern facilities require to enable efficient and effective operations.

CITY OF AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTRY FIRE + EMS STATION location: austin, texas This station is the second in a series of five planned combination Fire and EMS stations throughout Austin.

The Travis Country station has a bold modern design which draws attention to the importance of emergency responders. Due to a small, one acre site the 15,000-square-foot station was designed to have a single story apparatus bay and two-story living quarters to reduce the building footprint. The station is designed for 24-hour occupancy, accommodating the different shift schedules of Fire and EMS. There are four backin apparatus bays, a fueling station, and a three-story exterior training stair. The comfort and convenience of the responders was key to the design of the station

which includes 14 sleep rooms, six full restrooms, gym, 1,000-square-foot kitchen and dayroom area, and an exterior lounge area.

CITY OF CONROE FIRE STATION NO. 7 location: conroe, texas The 11,000-square-foot Fire Station No. 7 is a beacon of safety for the City of Conroe community and a healthy facility for the firefighters that live/work within.

The exterior design presents natural tones in stone and brick that seamlessly respond to the neighboring community and wooded areas. A custom station logo and large timber trusses with exposed fasteners celebrate the entrance to the facility.

The station includes three, 80-foot drive-through apparatus bays, featuring fire engine red folding bay doors and an enhanced exhaust ventilation system. Inside, the firefighters can enjoy a large day room that opens to a

full kitchen with a large stainless-steel island. Sleeping quarters with built-in desks and storage lockers and a full fitness center help provide the comforts of home to the staff.

CITY OF BELLAIRE FIRE STATION location: bellaire, texas Located on the heavily trafficked and highly visible corner site of the former station, Bellaire’s six-bay, 18,000-square-foot fire station and emergency operations center is a commanding presence.

The facility helps define the city’s public service infrastructure and represents an investment in the future of this established neighborhood.

One of the primary design goals was to seamlessly integrate the new facility into the fabric of the community while creating a distinct visual identity. To achieve this balance, PGAL translated traditional fire station elements — such as the brick façade and tower — into a modern

vocabulary of clean lines, accent features, and state-ofthe-art technology. The result is an eye-catching facility that is aesthetically comfortable in its surroundings, and fully equipped to provide first-rate public safety services.

CITY OF FARMERS BRANCH FIRE STATION NO. 2 location: farmers branch, texas Fire Station No. 2 was relocated to the Holiday Park site in Farmers Branch, a unique triangular site with a community college on one side, a mid-rise office building on another side, and an established subdivision on the third side.

The fire station is located on the northeast corner of the site to provide quick response time and a minimal impact on the Park. The 11,000-square-foot, two-bay fire station is designed to accommodate eight firefighters at full capacity and contains typical sub-station support spaces plus a community room and storm shelter. Operational efficiency, quick response, and indoor/outdoor connection to the park were the key factors in the design of the station layout.

The result is a compact, well-oriented building that will allow the department to function at a high level. The importance of bringing natural light into the building and the desire to open the building to the site is expressed on the different façades, with the strategic placement of clerestory windows and large windows oriented to the views.

SOUTH MONTGOMERY COUNTY ESD NO. 8 FIRE STATION 11-3 location: spring, texas South Montgomery County needed an updated station to replace its original facility, built in 1975. The new station introduced modernized sleeping, living, planning, and training quarters in a two-story, 30,000-square-foot facility.

The addition of three double-depth, pull-through bays and one maintenance bay will expand the district’s capacity, empowering this ISO Class 1 Fire Department to serve its growing community effectively. The rapid opening “four-fold” bay doors are a traditional fire engine red color with fully segmented glazing, which allows natural light to shine into the bay areas. The new station provides staff with individual sleeping quarters, a day room, kitchen,

safe room, fitness area and weight room, turn-out room, and tool and laundry area. All crew functions are placed on the first floor off of the bay, while administration is located on the second floor.

The station includes administrative offices, an ESD board room, conference space, storage and mechanical rooms, a 100-foot monopole antenna tower, and a pump test pit for fire apparatus. A new training facility is available for all district fire staff, and it includes a burn tower, five-story training tower, and a 30-person training room. The training tower has a fully grouted masonry wall, providing the most durable construction for various training exercises.

BROWARD COUNTY PEMBROKE PARK FIRE STATION location: west park, florida One of four prototypical fire stations designed by PGAL for the County, this three bay 11,400-square-foot station required cooperation between two adjacent communities.

It features 100% emergency power with additional fuel to supply the apparatus equipment, houses a crew of six fire-rescue personnel, four lieutenants, and a Battalion Chief and provides medical exam/treatment room to accommodate walk-in patients. Amenities include a highly functional commercial kitchen and multi-purpose community room, and an outdoor barbecue area.

CITY OF SEALY POLICE STATION + EOC location: sealy, texas PGAL served as lead architect for the Sealy Police Station and Emergency Operations Center, replacing the previous cramped facility, originally housing a mechanic’s shop and later a car dealership. The replacement facility doubled the size of the old Police Station and carries a railroad theme to represent the City’s origins as a railroad town.

The new building resides on a tract of land that the City had master planned as an emergency services campus.

A Fire Station sharing the same architecture as the Police Station resides within the campus creating a new cohesive archetype for the City and its facilities.

The new facility includes administration and office spaces, a full kitchen, fitness area, locker rooms, interview rooms,

two-vehicle sally port, squad room, dispatch center, armory and ample evidence storage and processing.

The design also provides the City with a plan for future expansion as the department grows. The Emergency Operation Center is co-located to serve both the City of Sealy as well as Austin County.

CITY OF ALLEN CENTRAL FIRE STATION EXPANSION + RENOVATION location: allen, texas The existing Central Fire Station was built in 2002 and was in need of updates in technology and layout as well as the addition of new sleeping quarters.

The 14,188-square-foot existing Central Fire Station holds both the administrative staff and an active fire house.

The new design corrects issues from the original design including envelope leakage while expanding and flipping the operating fire house to the north side of the apparatus bays where training facilities were originally located.

Interior improvements include renovation of the original first floor fire house to create public access, fire prevention and training spaces, and a reconfiguration of

the second-floor administrative portion of the facility. The layout is more functional for both the administrative staff as well as citizens of Allen. The entrance and signage are more pronounced and recognizable for the public. Visitors will have a new first floor reception area where they will be directed to the department they are seeking. Exterior upgrades include an enlarged fire house “number one” in a prominent location placed on a contrasting color accent wall. Amenities include a covered outdoor dining and barbecue area for fire personnel and much improved sleeping quarters, bathrooms, day room and kitchen/ dining spaces.

CLARK COUNTY FIRE STATION NO. 30 location: las vegas, nevada PGAL was previously contracted by Clark County Nevada to update the design of their existing fire station prototype which had been in place for more than 20 years. Station No. 30 is the second station to utilize the new PGAL prototype design.

The facility provides Clark County Fire Department with a new location in the community that will provide vital services for the safety and health of the community and visitors through professional emergency response, fire protection, and public education. The 10,535-square-foot station includes three apparatus bays, a captains’ office, fitness room, storage room, janitor’s closet and exits into the Apparatus Bay.

In the center of the building is the day room and the kitchen/ dining area, with a separate dorm area that contains the EMS office/door room, eight individual dorm rooms with doors, three individual shower/restrooms a second storage room and the tel/data room. The dorm rooms are separated from the rest of the building for acoustical privacy.

An outdoor covered patio area with a built-in barbecue is also included in the new design.

CITY OF ALLEN FIRE STATION NO. 5 location: allen, texas Designed to accommodate eight firefighters at full capacity, this 10,500-square-foot, LEED Platinumcertified, three-bay fire station contains all the program spaces typical of a fire substation.

Planned as a prototype and learning tool for the City of Allen, the project pushes the envelope in terms of sustainable features. The station was designed to help the city understand green design options and the LEED Rating System, with an eye toward future city-mandated sustainable initiatives. The space also educates the public, with a didactic building available for tours and seminars.

The building’s most prominent green feature is the inverted “butterfly roof.” Visible from inside and out, the roof allows natural light to pour into public and semi-private areas of the facility from continuous north and south clerestory windows. The inverted roof is also designed to capture and harvest rainwater for landscape irrigation and fire equipment washing.

SOUTH MONTGOMERY COUNTY ESD NO. 8 FIRE STATION NO. 4 EXPANSION + RENOVATION (BIRNHAM WOODS) location: spring, texas PGAL renewed this South Montgomery County fire station by renovating the interior of the existing building and adding two new wings: living quarters and apparatus bays.

In the living quarters wing, PGAL added a day room area with a kitchenette so the co-user group, Montgomery County Hospital District, can operate a substation at this location. New living quarters include a new office for the battalion chief, four single dorm rooms, and one singleuser bathroom with a shower.

PGAL remodeled a storage area and utility room off of the existing bay area to accommodate a MCHD emergency

vehicle (ambulance). Two new 60-foot pull-through bays allow additional ESD vehicles to be stored at this station.

The new bays are also outfitted with an accessible public entrance so the facility can be used for voting and other community events.

Designed to provide a cohesive look for the entire project, the additions complement the existing building with matching color palettes and finishes.

SOUTH MONTGOMERY COUNTY ESD NO. 8 FIRE STATION 11-6 location: spring, texas The developer wished to reposition an existing multibuilding office campus into a life science and technology hub in the heart of San Diego’s active Life Science community. In an effort to market the leasable space, the developer also sought to amenitize the property to attract tenants and gain the reputation as the go-to location for work and play.

The repositioning effort includes a new site events lawn, which spills out from a new patio and chef-driven concept restaurant. Additionally, the restaurant is connected to a new stat-of-the-art conferencing center which functions as overflow dining, conference, and events space.

A new yoga and flex fitness space has also been added to the programming to maximize on the Owner’s healthconscious focus for tenant amenities

CITY OF DAYTON PUBLIC SAFETY COMPLEX location: dayton, texas The City of Dayton’s complex houses the Volunteer Fire Department, Police Department, and Municipal Court System.

During programming, the decision was made to house the police and courts in the same facility and to provide a separate building for the fire department. With that in mind, a large piece of land north of downtown was chosen to create the 30,000-square-foot, two-building public safety campus. The police and court facility includes a sally port, individual offices that accommodate all officers on staff, and a training room that can double as an Emergency Operations Center.

Four apparatus bays in the fire station allow the city to consolidate all vehicles in a single location. The facility’s on-site dorms serve the volunteer firefighters, and its large meeting space and commercial kitchen can be used for community events.

CITY OF HOUSTON FIRE STATION NO. 24 location: houston, texas The City of Houston selected PGAL to design a single-story, three-bay fire station to house an engine, ambulance, and squad.

The facility contains a workout area, locker rooms, quiet areas, a commercial kitchen, an interactive lounge, and a team meeting area. With 15 bunk beds, the station is designed to be a home away from home for firefighters and paramedics.

The new facility enables rapid deployment of emergency personnel to affected sites and is accessible to the general public. It features state-of-the-art technology,

including 24/7 technology backup systems redundancy and a clean room for sterilizing equipment.

PGAL’s services also included the construction of an underground detention pond, parking lot, antenna, pump station, traffic light, and communication system.

CITY OF CONROE FIRE TRAINING TOWER location: conroe, texas The City of Conroe Fire Training Center is located on a 21- acre site that supports in-service training and assists recruiting academies for the city fire department.

The Class A burn building is an 8,000-square-foot threestory structure with integral six-story training tower. It simulates residential and commercial occupancies and has the capability of supporting live fire training in 12 rooms.

The tower has a top platform that is 60 feet above the ground and there are numerous training features, including various roof and balcony levels, a pitched roof ventilation prop, numerous rope tie-off points for rappelling training,

and an upper level window designed to accommodate a 2,000-gallon-per-minute flow from an aerial master stream.

CITY OF DALLAS FIRE STATION NO. 41 REPLACEMENT location: dallas, texas Built in the 1950’s and opened for service in 1958, Dallas Fire Station No. 41 was located at 5920 Royal Lane before it was destroyed by an EF-3 tornado in 2019. The insurance policy mandated that the replacement facility had to be built “like for like” to the former station; however, there were no construction or as-built documents for the destroyed station. Consequently, PGAL created a building information model by laser scanning Dallas Fire Station No. 45 which went into service the same year and is believed to be virtually identical.

Several site challenges had to be overcome due to changes in City Ordinances and ADA accessibility. These include enlarging the public and personnel parking lots,

plus creating greater setback from Royal Lane to better accommodate today’s apparatus sizes. A bid alternate will add a new fitness room as well as lengthening two of the bays to better accommodate today’s needs.

As in the original floor plan, the watch room is directly connected to the apparatus bay, followed by the dayroom, kitchen, and dining, keeping the same critical adjacencies in essentially the same locations as before.

PGAL’s three-dimensional development pays homage to the Mid-Century Modern era in which the original fire station was constructed, though not the style in which it was designed.

CITY OF WEBSTER FIRE STATION + TRAINING TOWER location: webster, texas This 18,000-square-foot mission critical facility introduced a fresh aesthetic to Webster’s contemporary city hall and police station complex.

Architectural details include tower roof caps, white cast stone pendants, a prominent cornerstone, and clerestory windows in bays.

The building’s inviting, lodge-style façade incorporates limestone and clay brick, decorative concrete pavers, and a covered, stone-faced front porch. The blue metal roof visually links the new facility to existing buildings.

The first floor accommodates six apparatus bays, office, training room, lobby, and public areas. The second floor houses kitchen, dining, laundry, and storage spaces, plus a fitness center and 14 sleeping quarters. These amenities enabled the department to expand to 24-hour coverage.

Varying rooflines accommodate a range of facility uses and enhance the structure’s overall stature. Two tower elements — one fronting an interior stairway and one housing regional training facilities — extend the station’s height and presence.

BROWARD SHERIFF’S OFFICE AIR/SEAPORT/TRT FIRE STATION + TRAINING FACILITY location: dania beach, florida This three-bay, 15,500-square-foot fire station and 24,000-square-foot logistical warehouse are located adjacent to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

The station, designed for future expansion with minimal impact to the site, supports a 24/7 crew consisting of 7 fire-rescue personnel, three officers and a 40 hour per week crew which consists of 4 fire rescue personnel, 4 lieutenants and 1 captain.

A 32-seat regional training room is regularly used.

Also provided are a medical exam/treatment room, commercial kitchen and outdoor barbecue area.

CITY OF ARLINGTON FIRE STATION NO. 1 location: arlington, texas Located in Downtown Arlington, a few blocks from City Hall, the Hawkes Library, and city museum, this 17,300-square-foot, five-bay, two-story fire station will house administrative and operation offices for the fire station and Fire Prevention Department on the first floor and a fully equipped fire house with 12 sleeping quarters on the second floor. The first floor will also be home to the historic Fire Engine No.1 and other Arlington Fire Department memorabilia.

This station will replace the existing Fire Station No. 1, originally built in the 1950s, with a design that responds to its unique site challenges: a narrow site, an operational fire prevention building to remain open during construction,

and vibration and noise caused by the train track on the north side of the property. Major consideration was given to locate less occupied spaces toward the tracks with occupied spaces toward the south, and to provide an abundance of natural light and views. The new design will blend a contemporary vocabulary with colors, materials, and proportions traditionally used in Downtown Arlington.

CITY OF PORT NECHES FIRE STATION location: port neches, texas With an existing fire station dating back to 1972, the City of Port Neches needed an updated, state-of-the-art facility that would accommodate training programs and withstand hurricane-level winds.

The 11,773-square-foot, single-story fire station includes four apparatus bays, fire chief and assistant fire chief offices, a secretary and finance office, and logistics and planning rooms. The station’s training room doubles as an emergency operations center (EOC).

The space houses bunker gear lockers, supply and mower storage, a cascade air pack room, and documentation storage. For long shifts, the station includes four dorm

rooms with two individual shower and toilet rooms, a laundry room, and a full-service kitchen.

The three-story drill tower includes an interior stair and ladder to the roof with a manhole as well as a standpipe and sprinkler system. An exterior caged ladder to the roof includes a transfer landing and shuttered windows.

All building components were constructed to withstand wind gusts up to 146 miles per hour (Category 4 hurricane) and pertinent requirements for impact resistance.

CITY OF AUSTIN DEL VALLE FIRE + EMS STATION location: austin, texas This station is the first in a series of five planned combination Fire and EMS stations throughout Austin.

The goal of the overall project is to provide lower response times to several neighborhoods in Austin and Travis Country which do not currently have adequate emergency response times. In order to expedite this, the five stations were grouped together and funded as one project with the same contractor and design team for all five projects. The stations will be designed and constructed on a rolling schedule allowing one year for the construction of each station for a total construction time of five years.

The Del Valle station has a bold modern design which adds character to the growing neighborhood. The 12,500-square-foot station is designed for 24-hour occupancy, accommodating the different shift schedules of Fire and EMS. There are four drive-through apparatus bays, a fueling station, and a 6,000-square-foot detached pre-engineered metal building for storing the EMS vehicles which service events at the adjacent Circuit of the Americas.

The comfort and convenience of the responders was key to the design of the station which includes 12 two-bed sleep rooms, five full restrooms, gym, 1,100-square-foot kitchen and dayroom area, and a large covered deck.

CITY OF PRINCETON FIRE STATION NO. 3 location: princeton, texas This fire station was the first to be built in Princeton since 1962. With a limited budget, the City determined a design-build delivery method was best in an effort to conserve both time and money.

This pre-engineered metal structure is 7,560-square-foot, 2.5-bay fire station (2 drive through bays) is located in the south quadrant of the City toward developing growth.

The fire station has all the typical components of a fire house including: kitchen with 3 shift pantries, entertainment room with oversized recliners, public meeting / training room, fully equipped fitness room, five sleeping quarters plus a separate captain’s sleeping

quarters with private office and restroom, and a storm shelter. A safety vestibule separates contaminants from the apparatus bays to the fire house.

CITY OF AUSTIN DAVENPORT RANCH FIRE + EMS STATION location: austin, texas The Davenport Ranch station has a simple, modern design as to blend with the adjacent Saint Stephens Episcopal School and residential neighborhood.

The site’s steep topography and hard limestone soil highly influenced the site planning of the compact 12,500-square-foot building which has a single story apparatus bay and two-story living quarters. The station is designed for 24-hour occupancy, accommodating the different shift schedules of Fire and EMS employees.

The station has four back-in apparatus bays, 14 sleep rooms, seven full restrooms, gym, 1,000-square-foot kitchen and dayroom area, and exterior lounge area

architecture engineering interiors planning

alexandria atlanta austin boca raton dallas/fort worth denver

hoboken houston las vegas los angeles salt lake city san diego

p g a l .co m