2014 Firehouse Station Design – Jackson 204 (Notable Satellite)

Station 204, Jackson Township’s fourth station, was designed to meet the demands of this growing Central Ohio community. The building was partially funded through an existing TIF agreement and a Federal Stimulus Grant (ARRA Assistance to Firefighters – Fire Station Construction Grants), with both sources of revenue having specific requirements relating to the design and construction of the project. Per the TIF, the exterior architecture was required to blend with and be approved by the residential developer. The Federal Grant set a minimum level for sustainable design, requiring LEED Certification with the USGBC. The project exceeded this requirement becoming a Certified Gold facility.

The Station is located on 4.5 acres. The long narrow site runs parallel to Buckeye Parkway, a divided arterial street. The site occupies a former Farmstead, with farmland to the east & residential development to the west. The existing access points to the residential neighborhood were used to align the stations curb cuts, allowing for access from and to the station for northbound & southbound traffic. Preemptive signage fed by solar power was included on each side of the Parkway. The living quarters are oriented along the Parkway with the Apparatus bays to the east. This unique siting allows the station to mediate between the scale of the adjacent residential structures, (screening the much larger apparatus bays) while addressing development, neighborhood, and operational requirements.

When fully staffed the station has enough living areas to accommodate a 7 person shift. The Station includes two drive though apparatus bays and adjacent ancillary spaces that have been designed to provide training scenarios like rappelling, ladder evolutions, and bailing exercises. Also included was a manhole for confined space rescue exercises. Classroom training takes place in a small Training Room that has been connected into the Department-wide teleconferencing system, allowing fire fighters to attend group classes while still staffing the station.
Other amenities include a triage room where walk-in patients can be treated, an EMS decon alcove, designed to prevent the spread of contaminants, and an exterior accessed room for yard maintenance equipment, and a covered patio. The design also includes an underslab radon mitigation system for firefighter wellness.

A 9/11 Memorial is adjacent to the main entrance and includes a piece of steel recovered from the World Trade Center. It has a granite base concealing a time capsule, with many items provided by the local citizens. The memorial includes individually engraved stepping stones marking the times of the Trade Center attacks as well as Flight 93 and the Pentagon.

While the project was accomplished with an overall tight budget, durable materials and finishes (masonry, quartz epoxy floors, and stainless steel countertops) were maintained through the value-engineering process.