Building Fire Stations

1581:5.7* - Fire departments that provide emergency medical services shall provide or have access to disinfecting facilities for the cleaning and disinfecting of emergency medical equipment. 1581:A5.7.1 - Where the fire department provides only emergency medical services at the first responder level, there should be at least one disinfecting facility available. Where the fire department provides basic life-support or advanced life-support emergency medical services, there should be a disinfecting facility in each fire station from which such services are provided. This is a must have to prevent the transmission of harmful and deadly diseases and pathogens. 1500:9.2.1 - All fire department facilities shall be inspected at least annually to provide for compliance with Section 9.1. (See Annex G.) 1500:9.2.2 - Inspections shall be documented and recorded. 1500:9.2.3 - All fire department facilities shall be inspected at least monthly to identify and provide correction of any safety or health hazards. Annex G of NFPA 1500 provides a detailed inspection checklist that should serve as a model for fire department facility inspections. As well as, the above codes, the typical codes also still apply (exit/emergency lighting, fire extinguishers, "No Smoking" signage, etc.). These are things to consider when planning for new emergency services housing facilities.  During renovations of stations, other temporary housing needs to meet this same criteria. As fire inspectors, our first concern is the safety of our own.  Many times fire station construction runs into the millions of dollars,  there is no need to try to skimp and save a few dollars on essential fire prevention applications that will protect our first responders. How about your jurisdiction? Are your stations code compliant?  What are some other concerns that may be considered? Other useful resources: Recommendations for Fire Station Design Fire Station Symposium