public safety

Pacheco Ross Architects (PRA), a division of H2M, teamed with Tecton Architects in the development of a public safety facility master plan for the Town of Lexington, MA. As the Firematic Designer working with Tecton Architects, the Architect of Record, our team prepared a public safety facility master plan for the Town of Lexington, MA. The project involved analyzing three facilities: the existing fire station; existing police station; and a temporary swing space for relocation of the Fire Department, then the Police Department. The Town’s fire facilities were addressed first, with renovation of an existing office space and locating temporary apparatus bays in the existing rear parking lot. This involved moving into the temporary swing space, demolition of the existing station, and new construction on the existing site. The new station features six properly sized apparatus bays, kitchen, training, bunks, day room, decontamination, Fire Department administration, transition areas, and firematic support spaces. Additionally, the station features numerous active training regimens and state-ofthe- art classroom facilities. Well-being of the first responders, cross contamination control, gender equity, and prevention of sleep deprivation, were programmed and designed into the facility. Traffic signalization, reconfiguration of a side street, urban-friendly entrance, and properly sized apparatus apron were designed for the site. The station was designed to achieve LEED Gold certification and exceeds the Massachusetts Stretch Energy Code by 30% through an all electric HVAC design, roof-top solar and optimized carbon dioxide dilution. The design won Gold at the Firehouse Station Design Awards, as well as being awarded the Fire Station Design Merit Award from F.I.E.R.O.

The Suffolk County 6^th Precinct Police Headquarters project is a 38,000 square foot new Precinct on a 16 acre site.  This police facility included detention cells, police administrative areas, detective area, mechanic garage, weight rooms and locker rooms.

The Suffolk County 5^th Precinct Police Headquarters project is a 30,000 square foot addition to and total gut renovation of a 17,000 square foot Precinct.  While almost doubling the facility size, all building mechanical and electrical systems were replaced with state-of-the-art equipment. The addition integrated the existing structural system to the new work to provide a smooth transition with the original building.  In addition, the exterior materials of precast concrete, stone aggregate panels, and standing seam copper roofing continue the original design elements.

The City of Norwalk wanted its Fire Department to reuse its existing, very narrow site between U.S. Route 1 and I-95 to build its new headquarters and Federally funded EOC. Due to the site’s location and narrow dimensions, it was extremely important to factor in controlling noise pollution, extreme traffic conditions, and air quality throughout the design process. Pacheco Ross Architects (PRA) helped obtain a $1 million grant from federally funded EOC and designed a four-story facility with a large mezzanine to add space within the high bays. Corridors, walls, and roofs were successfully utilized to protect the living spaces from noise and pollution. The large mezzanine spaces were designed adjacent to the bays and classroom. The mezzanine was designed to incorporate numerous active training regimens including a chargeable standpipe, interior rope training, rappelling points, windows, maze, bail out, smoke, blackout, ladder evolutions, floor-to-floor transfer, confined space, rescue hatch, and ability to create additional regimens. The new building achieved LEED Gold Certification by reusing the brownfield site, utilizing daylighting, passive solar gain, state-of-the-art HVAC energy saving systems, noise abatement, and continuous soy-based insulation, recycled materials, and bamboo flooring. PRA faced significant challenges on this project, specifically as it related to the site’s narrow width. To manage this challenge, PRA coordinated the CM, City and Fire Department to acquire additional State owned land through negotiations with State and local DOT, City, and State agencies. The design allowed PRA to accommodate training facilities, firematic support, public areas, firematic offices, a highly secure city-wide IT center, apparatus bays, administrative spaces and the regional EOC within the new building.

Fort Washington Fire Company No. 1 wanted to combine its Volunteer Fire Company and New Student Bunker Program into a single facility with public access for training, EOC, and township offices that would maintain secure separations without diminishing emergency response. Pacheco Ross Architects (PRA) controlled the size and scope of the facility and analyzed every aspect of the project through value engineering in order to stay on budget. We brought together the community, Board of Commissioners, Township staff, and the Fire Company for input and concerns as they related to the design of the new facility. We utilized programming and schematic design to engage diverse stakeholders and seek their input. We also invited neighbor input from the residential neighbors and ultimately developed setbacks, berms, a fence and landscape buffer for privacy. The final design was a 20,170 square foot modern, state-of-the-art, multi-use facility that could be expanded upon in the future. The site and building were designed to allow one additional double-deep bay, bunking, and public area for additional Township uses. All infrastructure and systems were designed to accommodate future expansion.

The Fayetteville Fire Department wanted to combine the Fire/EMS, Volunteers and Students into a single facility that required public access. The project had to garner neighborhood and business acceptance while respecting the attached historic village hall. Pacheco Ross Architects (PRA) generated public support to create a successful bond referendum by co-leading a project team through a public support campaign/bond referendum process for a successful three-to-one vote. Throughout the design process, PRA participated in numerous neighborhood meetings and forums, welcoming input from neighbors. The facility received substantial NYS Energy Grants. PRA managed the LEED process to garner the necessary points and ultimately the building received a standing of LEED Silver. Energy modeling demonstrated up to 6% better performance than required for grants. The final design is a 26,628 square foot, two-story facility comprising of the existing bays and new EMS bays, education spaces, a museum, lockers, excercise and training rooms, bunks, adminstrative offices, a conference room, day room, EOC, and patio.

The Niskayuna Consolidated Fire District #1 was outgrowing its existing facility and needed to expand in order to combine a unified space to serve three distinct end user groups, the paid fire department, volunteer fire department and fire district administration. Pacheco Ross Architects (PRA) designed the project within a tight budget while still including all systems for a modern Fire/EMS facility. PRA created detailed hard and soft cost budgets and bond repayment calculations for taxpayer implications and co-led the project team for a public support campaign which resulted in a successful bond vote. PRA utilized materials, shapes, roof planes, and massing to respect the existing facility and value engineered the building to include durable materials and essential spaces that the public could support without compromising programmatic need. The final design is a 19,894 square foot facility comprised of apparatus bays, a day room, duty crew offices, bunk rooms, meeting/training rooms, District offices, an exercise room, kitchen, volunteer room, and volunteer meeting room.

The Hagerman Fire District in East Patchogue was looking for a way for their fire response personnel to use the location of hydrants, major points of interest, and roads in order to enable route finding and reduce response times. Utilizing Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping software, H2M created a new District map identifying these items as well as a street index for easily locating streets. The map combined GIS data layers from county agencies with custom GIS layers created by H2M in order to provide an up-to-date representation of conditions throughout the District. For easy reference, we also provided the District with a set of wall-sized maps, as well as smaller maps for on-the-go use in their emergency response vehicles. The use of GIS allows the map to be quickly and easily updated and configured in the future.

H2M’s design of a new firematic training facility for the Huntington Manor Fire Department allows service members to train for real life conditions. The building is constructed of masonry and precast concrete planks that were used for the floor and roof structures; while the railings, training windows, doors, ladders, and tie-off points are made of galvanized steel. The project team faced a number of unique challenges in designing the 1,500 square foot facility. Due to the slope of the project site, waterproofing issues, and the need for adequate drainage for the fire hoses, an internal drainage system was designed using sloped flooring, common drainage piping, and dedicated drywells to capture water. As a result, all water from the interior and roof of the building is captured and drained, ensuring no additional runoff at the site. Also incorporated into the design is a ducted smoke system—operated from a control point located in a stairwell—that pumps smoke into designated areas to simulate an active fire. The completed building earned recognition as a Notable Training Facility in Fire Chief Magazine’s 2012 StationStyle Design Awards.

Elmont Fire District’s Engine 4 Fire Station is located on an unusually narrow lot in a dense suburban setting. The existing fire station was in poor condition and had not been renovated in many years, making it more economical for the District to demolish the building and construct a new facility in its place. The new, three-story fire station was constructed on nearly the same footprint as the former building. Exterior finishes featured metal roofing and brick, both environmentally sustainable materials. Layout of the building includes two bays with a separate gear area, an office, a training room, and an exterior terrace off the third floor recreation room. With efficiency in mind, the entire facility follows the firefighters’ workflow from the entrance to their turnout gear to the trucks and equipment.

Once a 1920s potato barn, the East Northport Fire District’s Clay Pitts Road substation was in desperate need of a rebuild. Today, that former barn has been replaced with a new, 11,200 square foot, 1.5-story facility with a full basement. In addition to mitigating a host of existing substandard conditions, the new station has enabled increased response capability (a single 12 foot wide vehicle door has been replaced by two 12 foot wide doors), enhanced safety for responding firefighters, and improved traffic flow in and around the site. The neighborhood-friendly design fully complements the surrounding residential community and features a partial glass wall on the west side of the building, bringing natural light to the stairwell and basement. The substation features radiant heat pavement on the response pad/building apron and the only fitness center in the Fire District.

For over 55 years, the Mastic Volunteer Ambulance Company has been providing emergency medical services to the communities of Mastic, Shirley, Mastic Beach, and Moriches, responding to up to 3,000 calls per year. The current home of Mastic Ambulance is undergoing a much-needed renovation and addition, as the company has outgrown the facility and is in dire need of additional apparatus storage space, administrative space, and meeting space. Vehicles are currently stored outside and there is no proper meeting space for members or the Board. This project, which will pursue LEED Gold certification, was designed to repurpose as much of the existing building as possible while keeping any additions as green as possible. The new design incorporates six additional apparatus bays, as well as a second-floor addition of meeting and administrative space. Among its many sustainable features are a geothermal heating and cooling system, low-flow water fixtures, recycled building materials, and a white roof. In addition, a Structural Insulated Panel System (SIPS) will be utilized for the exterior wall and roof packages, providing continuous insulation for the entire building envelope. This will drastically reduce the facility’s heating and cooling demands.

As one of the Top 10 busiest ambulance companies in New York State, the Manorville Community Ambulance Company was long overdue for an expansion. Extra space was needed to accommodate an additional ambulance, a staff of 35 responders, and other administrative personnel working on site. H2M was hired by the Town of Brookhaven to design a new, state-of-the-art facility to replace the aging building that had housed the company for over 26 years. When the Town decided to proceed with the necessary changes, it decided to make them green. Having applied for LEED Silver accreditation, the final design warranted 33% more energy efficiency than the baseline building. The building design included a geothermal heating and cooling system; solar panels to supply solar hot water; daylight harvesting; and green, renewable finishes such as rubber flooring, low-flow water fixtures, high performance windows with sunshades, a white roof, radiant heat, and porous pavement. To complete the aesthetic, choices for the exterior design consist of brick and block, in earth tones that complement the adjacent farmland.

Over a span of nearly 80 years, the Borough of Lehighton Fire Department in Pennsylvania operated through two separate firehouses on the same street. The vision of creating one cohesive facility ultimately drove the Lehighton Fire Department to purchase the properties between their two buildings. After the Department acquired all of the property necessary to fulfill its goal, H2M was retained to design a unique, 18,000 square foot infill addition. There were two major challenges H2M overcame in order to successfully design the addition to the two existing buildings; one of which dates back to the 1910s, and the other to the 1930s. The first was to keep both existing buildings fully operational during the ongoing construction, which was done by retaining the existing stairwells and elevators within the design. The design team also faced the challenge of varying elevations between the two existing buildings. As a resolution, various floor levels were manipulated to meet the exterior street level. The overall design resulted in a two-story addition with six new fire truck bays, as well as bunker gear and apparatus support spaces. Careful thought was put into the addition’s exterior, which blended into the existing buildings by matching their exterior finishes. Staff amenities include new meeting and training rooms, offices, a dispatch office, a fitness center, a day room and kitchen, bunk rooms, and locker rooms. New egress stairwells, ramps and an ADA-compliant elevator are also included within the new infill addition.

Nestled within the community of Roslyn Heights, the Roslyn Highlands Fire Department Station 2 firehouse was an outdated, cramped volunteer substation that had been outgrown by its staff and its modern firefighting equipment. With an eye on expansion, the client was looking to demolish the existing building and retained H2M to design the new firehouse from the ground up. Through a series of workshops, H2M worked hand-in-hand with the client to develop a design that would cost-effectively fit everything into an efficient footprint. The project’s primary challenge was to incorporate the surrounding community’s aesthetics into the firehouse design. The building, which is constructed entirely of masonry, is clad in cementitious siding, providing a more residential appearance. Other exterior design elements include a pitched roof, which adds to the building’s residential look; as well as doors at the front and back of the building so trucks are able to pull into the building through the rear, as opposed to backing in from the street. Within the interior building design is an equipment mezzanine for mechanical equipment and storage and bailout windows along the mezzanine for training purposes. Completed within the client’s budget, the finished project has won over a once skeptical community, garnering positive feedback from area residents as well as local politicians.