Fire Station 31 was commissioned by the Fort Myers Beach Fire Control District on a new site to replace a station where the fire district had outgrown and had also been damaged by storm surge.
Considerations in the design of the two-story station are the district’s current needs, planning for growth of operations and strategies for resiliency. The site is elevated for partial protection of the apparatus, while portions of the ground floor containing the exercise room, shop and laundry are dry flood proofed. Support spaces containing specialty equipment, protective gear, electrical and the emergency generator are elevated three feet above the flood elevation. The station is designed to withstand wind speeds up to 200 mph.
Living quarters are located on the second floor with the day room, dining room, kitchen, covered porch and a balcony placed to the front of the station facing the public and main boulevard. Individual bunk rooms for up to eight personnel are located to the back providing a quieter, more private environment.
Clean, modern elements are utilized at the apparatus bay and glazed sectional doors allow the public to view the vehicles and activity within the three bays. A standing seam metal roof, stucco clapboard “siding”, Bahama shutters and louvers are utilized at the living quarters lending to the residential function of these spaces.
This coastal-modern aesthetic and blending of architectural elements responds to the context in which the station is sited which is blend of civic, commercial and residential buildings.