This facility received the Career 1 Notable award in the 2025 Firehouse Station Design Awards. Find the full list of winners here. 

The facility’s public entrance allows guests to be greeted by a classroom with a restroom available. The classroom provides a location for meetings, training, etc., and the uniform quartermaster supply was integrated into the front half of the station. Separation through secured doorways allows the crew to maintain the operations without issues or intrusions.

In the initial design process, the goal was to give personnel space to allow time to decompress after running emergency calls while still maintaining a team mentality. The design allows for a more free-flowing approach, with a common dining/kitchen/dayroom area.

The dayroom and bay are separated by a controlled air environment. Between these locations, a decontamination room allows personnel to wash their fire gear and equipment in a controlled environment to remove any potential contaminants versus carrying them throughout the station. A commercial extractor/washer and gear dryer are in the area. The three-bay station includes space for the new aerial and heavy rescue.

The Station Design Awards judges were impressed with this accommodation. The bay area has four additional access rooms for tool storage, supplies, IT/network equipment and electrical rooms. The bay is equipped with Air-Vac filtration systems.

The upstairs area provides personnel with a more personal area that isn’t accessible to the public. One of the leading causes of firefighter fatalities is cardiac emergencies; a gym was provided to give personnel a location to work fitness and health. The sleeping area is a common bunkroom that has partition walls for the crew, to allow some privacy. The officer of each unit is provided with a separate bedroom, with the addition of workspace that has a computer.

There is a small conference space for crew meetings or training. The district captain has an office at the station to complete tasks and reports. There are three restrooms that have showers.

The station is alerted by dispatch via fiber and over-the-air communication that continuously is monitored for faults. Information display boards that are in the dayroom and bay provide real-time computer-aided dispatch information to the crews; colored lighting indicates various calls. A full power generator provides continuous redundancy.

The exterior of the station was designed to allow personnel to pull their apparatus outside to perform maintenance without interfering with traffic; the bays are pull-through.

The station is secured by an electronic lock system that allows instantaneous updates of personnel door access codes. The station driveways and parking areas are monitored by an IP surveillance system.

The rustic façade blends into the surrounding community while maintaining a timeless look. The Station Design Awards judges agreed.

Architect: Columbia County Board of Commissioners