The ICS of Building Design
The pre-conference program, “Incident Command Approach to Fire Station Design,” at the 2009 Station Style Conference brought together four architecture firms from across the country to share insights on beginning a fire station design.
Presenters included Dennis Ross, AIA, and David Pacheco, AIA, Pacheco Ross Architects, PC; Mary McGrath, AIA, Beverly Prior Architects; Brian Harris, AIA, and Eric Schaer, AIA, TCA Architecture Planning; and Lynn Reda, AIA, and Paul Erickson, AIA, LeMay Erickson Willcox Architects.
The team found parallels between fire station and the Incident Command System. Perhaps the single most important message from the architects was to start planning early and communicate effectively.
“Your station is every bit as complex and difficult as a major incident,” Pacheco said. “Firefighters don’t rush into a burning building without a coordinated plan of attack or the necessary expertise, so why approach facility design any differently?”
The team developed “10 Building Design Rules of Thumb” for fire stations. Among the rules are:
- Design so the path of travel to bays is direct.
- Locate spaces based on operational protocol.
- Identify clear demarcation between public and private spaces and security.
- Plan for future expansion in the design.
Presenters also discussed sustainable goals during budgeting, programming and site selection.
This year’s Incident Command Approach pre-conference program ended with one-on-one meetings with the team’s architects. One chief from Alaska exclaimed, “I can’t wait to go back and show the department the drawings I have from my meeting with the architect!”
July 28th, 2009 at 6:27 pm
Is there a complete list available?
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