Blast from
the past
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Now and then, vintage firefighting and rescue equipment can
still be found outside of fire museums. The firefighters at the Union Avenue house have an old fire safety net - or fireman's trampoline - which once was
used for catching people jumping from burning buildings.
Manufactured by the Atlas Life Saving Machine Co. of New
York City until the middle of the last century, the catch rings were made of
cast aluminum, with 10-foot diameter canvas blankets, and hard rubber handles.
As shown in this recent photo, the safety nets had to be
held by several firefighters on the ground, and the jumper had to land close to
the middle of the ring. Today, ladder trucks do the high-rise rescue job more
effectively.
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Doubling Up
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One of the most challenging aspects of firehouse rehabs is
the need for a rapid pace in the work schedule according to John Pruett.
"When we shut down a station, the firefighters have to move
to another house to share space.
That makes the work a matter of public safety.
We strive to move quickly and precisely with these renovations."
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Rebuilding the city's firehouses -
one unique station after another
Logistically speaking, the City of
Memphis Division of Fire Services covers a lot of ground. Literally.
It takes a great deal of property just to house its equipment
and the 1,850 fire personnel it employs, including 1,483 firefighters and their
safety equipment. The department presently operates 57 fire stations, including
57 engine companies, 27 truck companies, three heavy rescue teams, 33
ambulances and two air rescue companies.
Periodically, the fire stations
must be renovated. We at John Pruett
Architects are proud of our track record of updating and keeping in
service the buildings where these Memphis heroes work, maintain equipment and
rest. Right now, we have two major fire station rehab projects nearing
completion, with two others set to begin in 2010, including historic Firehouse
11 on Union Avenue in Midtown.
Each station project is unique.
Each also is a fiscal victory for taxpayers.
That's because the typical full renovation
costs about $1.4 million, which is a savings of approximately $4 million per
station, since new stations built to current standards would cost about $6
million apiece to construct. Each job must be done under strict federal
guidelines including making certain that stations adhere to requirements of the
1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
We view many of the fire stations
we work on as diamonds in the rough awaiting a new era of service to the
community.
Thirty-five of the city's stations
have had improvements made since 2002. At first, those were small improvements
to multiple stations. But two years ago, the city decided to concentrate its
available funds and perform full rehab projects, station to station.
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Meeting federal requirements
right down to the plumbing
"Perhaps it's obvious, but fire
stations are public buildings," says our Principal-in-Charge John Pruett.
"There was a time when firehouses
were polling places during elections, for instance. Those days are gone, but
stations remain public places and this means we must follow all regulations
required by the U.S. Justice Department."
On a practical and pragmatic plane,
the rehab of fire stations must take into consideration such ingredients as
gender equality and space separation as well as ADA compliance.
"The days of 'firemen' are gone,"
explains Pruett. "We have 'firefighters 'now, both men and women. So, we must
make sure renovated fire stations have separate shower and toilet facilities as
well as sleeping areas."
Meeting those requirements requires
different tactics from building to building.
At the same time, fire station
public spaces must be accessible to anyone with a physical disability. "That
includes all the way to the bus stop nearest the firehouse!" Pruett says.
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People associate red with firefighting, but being green dictates renovations
The work plan we draw for each fire
station keeps the need for energy efficiency top of mind. This green mindset is
employed in both internal and external building solutions.
The plan for Station 47 at Coleman and
Yale roads is an example. The job will include all new building insulation, new insulated
windows, and many building materials made from recycled substances. Meanwhile,
all new energy efficient heating and air conditioning units will be necessary.
As the architectural firm in charge, we must make certain a renovated building has thermal efficiency and that
kind of update can get expensive.
Pruett says. "We have worked hard
with city engineers to make certain we have built-in efficiencies on each
project, which saves the city money in the long run while helping to make more
of our public spaces energy efficient and green."
Of course, we also want to maintain the historical integrity and beauty of our old firehouses. Number 11 on Union Avenue is a stand-out example of a beautiful, historically-significant station. Our challenge with this one will be to use energy efficient materials while keeping many of the historic achitectural details that make this building special.
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