How Can Design Prepare Firefighters for the Next Pandemic?

Firefighters and first responders are essential service providers, serving communities on the frontline against COVID-19. As their role has rapidly evolved amid the pandemic, so too should their facilities. Special Projects Director, Barbara Price was interviewed for an article on GovTech.com, the online portal for Government Technology Magazine, about the need for a new, more flexible firehouse. She states, “Our big idea is that we want to create an agile fire station where we can ‘flip’ spaces to resist a threat.” Price — together, with Assistant Fire Chief at South Metro Fire Rescue, Kevin Milan — designed the next firehouse of the future, following FEMA critical infrastructure guidelines with information on how to obtain federal grant funding.

Read the GovTech article here to learn more about the role of an “agile fire station” and best practice design application to space planning, materials, systems, and mental health.

Read our white paper to learn:

• What the gaps are in the current knowledge base and legacy firehouse design
• The five elements of a healthy fire station
• What funding strategies are available
• How to define the space utilizing hazard zones, adjacency, and flexibility
• What to consider regarding systems redesign