Project Spotlight: New Fire Station for Friendship Engine and Hose Company
Originally built in 1931, the Friendship Engine and Hose Company’s existing firehouse faced a long list of design challenges. Modern fire apparatus could not fit through the bay doors, forcing the Company to purchase expensive custom-sized rigs. The short aprons in front of the bays caused the nose of each vehicle to poke out into the roadway, creating hazards for responders and pedestrians alike. The inadequate space inside the bay created multiple issues as well. The Company had to double-stack its apparatus, nose-to-tail, with very little room between rows of vehicles. The doors of parked apparatus were constantly at risk of swinging into each other or into any first responder rushing to don their gear in the bay. Nose-to-tail parking also requires extra manpower to get apparatus into the flow of traffic, increasing response times during emergency calls. Furthermore, the original designers of the station did not anticipate or allocate space for a vehicle exhaust system in the bays, which is critical for protecting firefighters from known carcinogens.
To reach the second floor, first responders had to use an external staircase, which is inconvenient in cold or bad weather. Without an elevator, the building does not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The lack of space everywhere else meant that offices became bunk rooms, the Company had no decontamination facilities, and there were no storage spaces for the self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). After several decades without a major update, the roof and façade also needed repairs to prevent water infiltration.
Trying to resolve the aging station’s issues through renovations would have been overly expensive, so H2M is designing a new station. The new building will be on the same site plus two adjacent properties that the Company purchased. Since the Company is not a fire district (and thus not a taxing entity), the Town of Hempstead issued a bond on its behalf. The new building will be three stories tall and 16,000 square feet. The design will match the residential aesthetics of the surrounding neighborhood.
The design for the first floor will resolve the health and safety issues of the former station:
- Longer aprons and four street-facing bays will reduce the risk of collisions.
- New decontamination rooms will control carcinogenic exposure.
- The EMS teams will have a separate, lockable room for storing their medical supplies.
- Separate rooms for fire gear storage, tools, and maintenance products will free up space in the bays and keep the gear away from any diesel exhaust particulates.
Outside the bays and firematic spaces, the design emphasizes mental health, operations, recruitment, and retention.
- A recreation room, day room, and operable kitchen partition that opens onto the outdoor wellness patio will support mental health through a connection with the outdoors.
- Most of the middle floor will house mechanical equipment and information technology infrastructure.
- The third floor will have offices and conference rooms.
- Common rooms will connect three gender-neutral bunks with two beds apiece. Gender-neutral showers and laundry facilities for day clothes will round out the living spaces.
- A fitness room will encourage volunteer membership and help responders maintain their physical health.
The design is “future-proofed” in anticipation of the trend towards paid EMS companies. There will also be enough space to house first responders during inclement weather, extreme storms, and hurricanes.
Demolition of the old station recently wrapped up and construction is expected to conclude in 2025. Check out the demolition video below!
