Fire Station 31 for the Immokalee Fire Control District was designed to replace the existing fire station. The station was designed to incorporate fire industry standards related to health and safety of the fire fighters, to meet the fire district’s current needs and provide spaces for additional crews as the district grows in response to the needs of the community.
The +13,000 square foot, three-story building was placed on the site to provide emergency vehicles entry from the side street and exit directly onto the main thoroughfare. The rear portion of the site and station are fenced and gated providing a secure area for staff parking, above ground fuel tanks for refueling of district vehicles and the emergency generator.
Support and living spaces are organized to either side and above the double-height, three-bay apparatus bay. The bays can be double stacked to accommodate additional apparatus. Located at the north side of the first floor are the lobby, report office, Battalion Chief’s office and a conference room which can be utilized for in-house training. At the south side of the bay are the laundry, shop and bunker gear rooms. The bay is equipped with an exhaust system and four mechanical air filters designed to work together providing the bay with plenty of fresh air and eliminating harmful particulates.
The second floor consists of mechanical, electrical and storage rooms at the north and south sides. Located entirely on the third floor are the living quarters for the fire fighters which include the day room, dining, kitchen and exercise room. Bunk rooms and restrooms are separated from the common areas creating a quiet zone.
The exterior cladding and structural system of the fire station is a combination of stucco over concrete masonry, and steel panels over a structural steel frame. To provide continuity throughout the fire district’s facilities, the exterior and interior color palette; stone veneer and standing seam metal roof used at the previous fire station were utilized at this station.