In Quarters: Pike Township Fire Department Decontamination and Maintenance Facility, Indianapolis

This facility received the Renovations Notable award in the 2024 Firehouse Station Design Awards. Find the full list of winners here. 

The decontamination and maintenance facility replaces an outdated facility and provides state-of-the-art, centralized decon for the department’s approximate 180 first responders, which minimizes “dirty” areas at each of the individual stations. This approach provides a more efficient decon and gear-cleaning protocol for firefighters after a fire, to reduce their exposure to carcinogens.

Guided by NFPA 1851: Standard on Selection, Care, and Maintenance of Protective Ensembles for Structural Fire Fighting and Proximity Fire Fighting, this investment is aimed at compliance with PPE-cleaning best practices, individual exposure reduction and clean living quarters design.

Located on the grounds of the district headquarters, the 11,500-sq.-ft. facility is separated into two distinct spaces. The first space is the maintenance area. The second space is the gear-washing/decon area. The decon area was designed after conversations between firefighters and the design team. It provides firefighters with a healthier and more efficient way to decon, store their gear and reduce their exposure to carcinogenic substances. Multiple stations that are within the facility advance firefighters and their equipment through the decon process. The new personal area allows firefighters to remove toxic carcinogens from their body with the addition of a bank of six zero-clearance private showers.

Following the decon process, a second set of personal gear is distributed to each firefighter. The dirty and clean zones have separate HVAC systems and fresh air intake to ensure a complete separation between the spaces. Surfaces that are in the facility are washable stainless steel or epoxy-sealed.

The equipment that’s located in the gear-washing section of the facility comprises four turnout gear extractors, three Ram Air dryers and two SCBA decon washers. 

Forty-nine hundred square feet of the new facility is dedicated to five vehicle maintenance bays, to improve the safety and work environment of the support services staff. The bays are tall enough to accommodate the clearance that’s necessary for aerial ladder maintenance.

Thirty-one solar tubes provide natural light throughout the building, which decrease the need for artificial lighting while promoting a healthy work environment.

Architect: Etica Group