In the News: Prudent Fire Station Design Serves Public Safety and Community Needs

GuernseyTingle was featured in the August 2021 issue of Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment Magazine for its design of the Toano Fire Station in James City County, Virginia.

An article penned by Alan Petrillo explored how GuernseyTingle led the design of a new, state-of-the-art fire station that fully accommodates firefighting equipment, provides training facilities, and supports staffing comprised of county personnel and volunteer department personnel.

Another key project consideration centered around how well the facility could support community activities while maintaining the required operational security of the station. Great care was taken to design a facility that also reflects the site’s history as a center of community life; before housing the fire department, it had been a high school.

“We take into account the community in everything we do,” said William Apperson, chief of the James City Bruton Volunteer Fire Department, in the article. “We want to safely house our firefighters and the public too. This is a community station; that’s where our heart is.”

The article also touched on the collaboration with Stewart-Cooper-Newell Architects, the firm GuernseyTingle and James City County tapped to conduct a master plan study of the site with a focus on keeping the existing station in operation during construction.

The new, two-story, 22,000 square foot building was designed and constructed to achieve U.S. Green Building Council LEED Silver Certification.

Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment Magazine is the leading publication providing firefighting personnel and stakeholders with the information they need to make the best procurement decisions.

To read the full article on the Toano Fire Station, visit the Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment Magazine website.