The Firehouse Yak: Janet Wilmoth, Mike Scott, Patrick Stone – Station Design Conference 2026 Preview
Station Design Conference Director Janet Wilmoth and architects Mike Scott and Patrick Stone discuss this year’s conference, which takes place in May in Reno, NV. Peter Matthews digs into their sessions, asks what’s new at the public safety facility design conference and what they suggest attendees do to get the most out of the conference.
Janet Wilmoth offers highlights from around the conference, including new topics and trends that a variety of speakers will cover, along with the need for collaboration with other public safety agencies for training and operations facilities. Patrick Stone from H2M architects + engineers, who is also a firefighter, previews his sessions on next-generation public safety facilities and how that will impact buildings in the future, plus a look at why designing a station requires a lot of questions to be asked, like the design of a new fire apparatus. Mike Scott, with RRM Design, talks about critical need for programming, which is the first step of laying out needs and plans for a fire station.
Both architects, who are veterans of the Station Design Conference, explain how the event fosters a collaborative effort between architects, service providers, builders and attendees to build the facility properly the first time and how attendees can return home ready to start the process.
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About the Author
Peter Matthews
Editor-in-Chief/Conference Director
Peter Matthews is the conference director and editor-in-chief of Firehouse. He has worked at Firehouse since 1999, serving in various roles on both Firehouse Magazine and Firehouse.com staffs. He completed an internship with the Rochester, NY, Fire Department and served with fire departments in Rush, NY, and Laurel, MD, and was a lieutenant with the Glenwood Fire Company in Glenwood Landing, NY. Matthews served as photographer for the St. Paul, MN, Fire Department and currently is a photographer for the Fort Worth, TX, Fire Department.
Janet A. Wilmoth
Special Projects Director
Janet Wilmoth grew up in a family of firefighters in a suburb of Chicago. Wilmoth, who is owner of Wilmoth Associates, worked with Fire Chief magazine for 27 years until it closed in 2013. She currently is the project director for Firehouse, overseeing the Station Design Conference.
Mike Scott
A key member of RRM's Architecture Group since 2000, Mike Scott specializes in large-scale, complex public safety and commercial projects. He has developed extensive experience in the planning, design and construction of fire stations, combined fire/police facilities and fire training centers. As a LEED Accredited Professional, Scott brings an environmentally conscious and context-sensitive design approach to every project.
Patrick O. Stone
Patrick O. Stone, RA, LEED AP, is the director of the public safety market at H2M architects + engineers. He has 17 years of experience in the design of emergency service and public safety facilities and 19 years of service as a volunteer firefighter at two Long Island, NY, fire departments. Stone is responsible for overseeing H2M’s specialized team of experts and uses his firefighting experience to enhance the facilities that he designs to integrate best practices and the latest trends. He is a regular speaker at national symposia and was published on a variety of station design trends.