Prince George County was seeking to fill a gap in coverage in the northern part of the county along the James River. The team worked closely with the Fire, EMS & Emergency Services department to develop an economical yet fully functional station design that would meet the needs and budget of the County.
Located on a rural 10-acre site along Route 10, the 10,460 square foot facility includes 3 bays and associated living quarters. It is fully equipped to support the latest trends in promoting firefighter health through station design, including dedicated turnout gear storage room, detox room, individual bunk rooms, an addressable alerting system, and support for a vehicle exhaust system. Other spaces include a combination kitchen, dining room, day room, meeting room, offices, turnout gear decontamination, and a workshop. These functions are all housed in a simple and efficient pre-engineered metal building.
The mechanical design included a new HVAC system that consisted of split system heat pumps to provide thermostatic zoning and a dedicated outside air system (DOAS) with energy recovery to provide ventilation air and to positively pressurize the building. The kitchen was provided with a Commercial Type 1 kitchen hood and a makeup air unit. The Apparatus Bay is heated utilizing infrared gas fired heaters and ventilated by utilizing sidewall fans with intake louvers to provide cross ventilation.
The plumbing design consisted of plumbing fixtures, domestic cold-water, domestic hot water, including water heaters, domestic hot water return, storm piping, sanitary vent piping, and sanitary waste piping, including oil separator as required. Plumbing fixtures were selected for durability and longevity. The water heater system was selected as a high efficiency propane fired storage heater to supply the entire building’s hot water demand. An oil water separator was provided for drains in the apparatus bay.
Compressed air for tools was provided at various locations in the apparatus bay.
Seismic bracing was provided as required due to the seismic design category of the building as an essential facility.
The electrical design features a 600-amp, 120/208-volt, three-phase, 4-wire electrical service, providing efficient power distribution throughout the facility. The distribution and branch circuits system utilize copper wiring run in 1/2″ minimum conduits, ensuring durability and organization. Additionally, a 175 kW, 120/208V diesel engine-driven standby emergency power generator with automatic transfer switch ensures uninterrupted power supply during emergencies. The interior lighting utilizes energy-efficient LED lamp sources with specified color temperatures for various applications, while exterior lighting features are fully cut-off, dark sky compliant LED fixtures controlled by photocells. The Fire Station Alerting system integrates dual-link redundancy for swift response to alerts, activating bells, lights, and Public Address amplifiers. Intrusion detection, intercom entry, access control, and CCTV systems further enhance safety and security within the station. The special systems design included an automatic addressable fire alarm system in accordance with the Virginia Construction Code and NFPA 72, National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code. PACE additionally designed a complete raceway system (back boxes, conduit, cable tray) for other vendor provided low voltage systems including telecommunications (phone, data, TV), access control, and the fire station alerting system.
