Pre-registered fire, LE and public safety agencies meet 1-on-One with specialized architects for an objective review of plans.

Breakfast for attendees & exhibitors

Designing a Public Safety Station can be a daunting task. This presentation is an introduction to the foundational components necessary for the planning, design and construction of your great Fire or Police Station. A lively session provides a solid founcation of knowledge to prepare attendees for the wide-ranging presentations to follow.

What is a building program and how is it developed? Learn how to develop a program for your facility to provide a foundation

Environmental issues to be considered when locating and designing Fire Stations, Police Stations, Emergency Operations & Communications Centers including high winds, flooding, water surge, fires, etc. Strategies for sea level rise, mitigating inland flood staging, and resilient buildings and systems through case studies. Also funding mechanisms in federal/state programs.

Strategies to increase police facility efficiency and maximize the value of your investment. This session examines case studies that maximize efficiency, reduce wasted area and create better working environments. Why not provide a more innovative approach to your use of space and create a healthier environment for your officers?

Selecting a Site wil provide "Rules of Thumb" including guidelines for site size, cost-saving strategies and characteristics of a successful site. Case studies of fire station projects will examine what features and elements exist to make or break your budge and station design

Selecting the right design team for your project is the most important step for a successful building. RFQs and RFPs need to clearly communicate the important priorities of your agency.

Local governments' need to constrain budgets and need for suitable public safety structures have increased the popularity of multi-agency public safety facilities for cost savings. Thru sensible design, shared/non-shared spaces and controlled access, a combined public safety facility can be a comprehensive and cost effective solution for local governments.

What makes an effective client? Are you invited to the table for every meeting, or are you held at arm’s length by a General Services Department or other management group? Understand the role of your department in the process of starting a project. This presentation will walk through the early stages of developing a project and discuss when and how you can be most effective, developing a budget, issuing an RFP, selecting an AE team and generally designing your facility.

Soft costs are less recognizable than hard costs, but are equally important and include: professional fees, insurance, taxes, commissioning and a host of others. Learn to identify soft costs required for your project and how to develop these costs into a budget.

The modern police station is a highly complex facility with intensive space needs for people and equipment. How does one understand and prioritize the demands and security issues? Operations-Based Design is a roadmap to design a station that is responsive to your department, a safe and secure work environment, and effective for the community that it serves.

Few chiefs have the opportunity to build more than one fire station in a career. Learning from the experience of others is a close second place to first-hand experience. Chief Flynn invites you on a 45 minute virtual ride to the final destination of West Bloomfield, MI Fire Station 3. Along the virtual ride you will encounter some bumpy roads, poor driving conditions, and detours. Buckle-up and learn how you can improve the ride to your new fire station.

Compelling models of resilient and sustainable design are emerging around the country. How are they influencing public safety design? Living Building certification paths will be presented relative to other metrics, case studies reviewed, resiliency strategies provided, and their applicability to these building types will be discussed. Leveraging this information will help you navigate this trend to inform and support your community, be more operationally efficient during natural and manmade emergencies, and enhance the health and safety of the facility users.

Police Stations and Sheriff’s Facilities are critical for supporting law enforcement functions. This program will discuss resilient planning and design considerations for building renovations and new construction to keep your operations intact and safe when shocks and stresses occur. Issues to be discussed include building code requirements, risk analysis, site selection, and building to protect against threats (man-made safety and security issues), and hazards (natural disasters).

What is Value Engineering (VE)? VE should create value for your project, so why is it considered a dark art? People don’t understand the concepts and don’t learn in a manner to help them maximize the solution. What tools do you need and where do you find the correct information? Learn how VE can work for fire, police and public safety facilities and their sites. Learn about cost-effective means for planning, feasibility, programming, design, and construction.

We are better together! Participate in an interactive presentation on how the Wiregrass Foundation collaboratively partnered with multiple public safety jurisdictions and private partners to create the Wiregrass Public Safety Center. Discover the power and value of smart community investment that enables state of the art public safety training across agencies and political lines to maximize effectiveness and promote the common good.

A two-part presentation focused on strategies to develop effective and functional apparatus bays and support spaces for operational efficiency and training. The first part will cover how apparatus bays have evolved and factors now driving their cost. The second part will review detailed items such as spatial requirements, lighting, mechanical systems, vehicle exhaust systems, fire protection, structural conditions, door operations, and apparatus clearances. Additional information will review support spaces to ensure departments are providing hygienic conditions for first responders.

When the need for a new facility is first put forward, most organizations encounter resistance and questions from constituents reluctant to spend money. A “Study” by an expert design firm can provide defensible answers to these questions at a reasonable cost. This session will cover the scenarios in which a study can help your organization, the types of studies commonly conducted, the type of data generated, and provide advice about moving from Study to Project.

CALEA Law Enforcement Agency Standards has hundreds of pages addressing requirements for written directives on every aspect of law enforcement policy. Jim will discuss where the attendee needs to start and how CALEA will impact the design of their new Police Station with regards to detention and holding, evidence storage and handling, and juvenile operations. These subjects and others will be addressed to assist you in being CALEA compliant for your next accreditation review.

You’ve planned your project for years, budget’s approved and design work is complete. Now you learn if difficulties (even litigation) in the project are encountered, it’s most likely to occur during the construction phase. “Construction Administration” begins with the selection of your General Contractor and continues until after you occupy the new facility. This presentation will discuss what to expect and plan for during Construction Administration, along with procedures to put in place to help assure that the construction results in the best possible facility.

Interview rooms are essential to every police department however, not all interview rooms are the same.  This session will focus on the how interview rooms can have different functions, settings and purposes for investigations, hiring, and report taking.  We will discuss how early planning and location of the Interview spaces can affect the everyday work flow of the office and the integration of technology into the design of the space.

Mike Scott has worked with multiple Fire Departments on repeat fire station projects learning to make the next station and process better. This presentation will include various building systems, interior and exterior, and discuss construction issues including finish materials, waterproofing, and site features. Case studies will be presented with solutions identified to help review drawings to eliminate issues before construction. Mike will partner with an experienced fire department facility manager to provide an owners perspective.

Michael J. Irwin, Fire Chief of Springdale, Arkansas Fire Department and Mary McGrath, AIA will present the process used to develop a prototype station plan, how each plan was site adapted and the pros and cons of using a prototypical plan and station design. The Springdale Fire Department is completing the construction of its third version of the prototype station and Chief Irwin will present his experience in guiding these projects to fruition.

Come TOUCH and FEEL all kinds of building finish materials and hear about the pros and cons of each. See inspiration images and hear about important things to consider during the finish selection process. There are many new finish materials on the market. How can various finish materials affect the feel of the environment? What do different finish materials do to impact sound in a space? How do these finish materials fit into your budget? What are the maintenance protocols for these new finish products?

When designing a fire station to include current technology and facilitating for ever-changing technology, planning is required. We will discuss current trends in technology, including lighting, HVAC, security, access control and safety. Prepare your station for the incoming state of the art technology.

Examine the application of building codes, standards, and accessibility requirements specific to fire and police station design. Consideration will be given to authorities having jurisdiction at the federal, state, and local levels. We will review the risks and costs associated with varying code interpretations. The questions of to what extent does your station need to be ADA accessible and if your two-story station needs an elevator will be answered!

Sight & Sound Separation Requirements, the legalization of marijuana, Red-Flag Laws, and similar legislation have a significant impact on how law enforcement agencies handle detainees, and process and store evidence. We will review concepts, details, and systems available to law enforcement agencies about to embark in the design of a police facility. Also, an in-depth look at how the above challenges influence the design of holding cells, evidence storage areas, sally ports, and other high-secure environments within the station.

Building on the principles of Hot Zone Design, this presentation focuses on the design of transitional “warm zones” and decontamination spaces within a fire station. The design of these spaces is a critical part of controlling and containing contaminant exposure, and there is not a one size fits all solution. Decontamination design must be customized based on each department’s health-safety goals, operational procedures, staffing demands, and budget. This presentation will present a series of decon design solutions and will help you determine what solution it right for you.

In 2014, the City of Kent Police department envisioned a new ground up facility. The LEED Silver certified Kent Police Station tackles the indoor air quality, access to natural light, views to the exterior, and advanced building systems. The indoor spaces are designed to promote healthy living in alignment with WELL design principles. This presentation will focus on the driving features for the design and operations of the building, but also the impact on human behaviors related to health and well-being of its users.

For years a major issue for Fire Departments all over the nation has been access to training. Training helps fire department personnel preparedness and supports their mission and handle the mental and physical rigors of the profession. This session focuses on implement training features into station design, increase training opportunities and mitigate costs incurred when personnel train off site? We will explore alternate and creative funding sources and focus on how can we help fire departments do more with less.

Kitchen and dining areas of a house are the central gathering point not only for meals, but everyday sharing and interation. This session will focus on planning and considerations for kitchen/dining areas in stations and public safety facilities recommended as evolving issues related to ADA, ranges and hoods and equipment consideration and finishes.

Almost all fire stations will eventually undergo some degree of renovation and the cost of building a new station becomes more out of reach. Your station may be an older building in poor condition, or considering renovation to address consolidation, firefighter health & safety, gender equity, bunking, changing weather patterns, or a shared services facility. Using examples of station renovation learn about evaluating the existing conditions and how to have the information you need to make decisions about the building.

We live in a culture that promotes a “rat race” mentality, and the daily stressful situations encountered in Police and Dispatch careers have great impact on health. Come learn about how happiness can reduce the stress in your life. Integrating stress relief strategies, based on neuroscience, chronotherapy, “Attention Restoration” and the “Power of Awe”, into your built environment to promote happiness and reduce stress.

Recognizing emotional stress for emergency responders can rival the levels of PTSD experienced by military personnel and that alarming rates of firefighter and police suicides challenge the industry. This presentation will explore how “Immersive Design” techniques and strategies can be implemented to improve the emotional health and well-being of personnel. Learn how “biophyllic design” strategies utilize natural materials, daylight and views to enhance the sense of orientation, security and safety for first responders. Focus on resilience and important circadian rhythms play in natural sleep cycles.

This presentation focuses on key design strategies surrounding today’s modern law enforcement facility and how such features mitigate threats, reduce attack vulnerability, and enhance officer safety, while preserving an inviting and welcoming facility. Focus includes how to prioritize key design strategies and implementation techniques surrounding exterior and interior planning and walk through design precedence of how such strategies can be implemented, while preserving the department culture, work flow and public facing image of the facility

Fire station construction should serve communities for over 50 years. True sustainability reduces energy and resource consumption, but also reduces life-cycle costs. Presentation looks at planning and design strategies to get the most out of your station, including: • Space planning for flexibility in operations • Balancing upfront vs. life-cycle cost • Designing for wear & tear • Pitfalls, responsibilities, and opportunities in sustainable design solutions • • Benefits of keeping it simple • Planning for future trends in fire service

A Q&A panel moderated by Jennifer Bettiol, BRW, panel of police chiefs and specialists in combined facilities.

This program will help you share and educate your department and government officers what you have learned at SDC. Minefields and pitfalls of implementing ideas on new facilities.