Fire Stations

Fire stations are complex facilities that must provide for extremely diverse functions, including housing, administration, training and firefighting. They must also accommodate the storage of firefighting apparatus, vehicle maintenance, equipment and supplies. Additionally, fire stations must often support other departments that respond to emergencies such as police and EMS, so their design must reflect the need for flexibility.

The fire department of the City of New York (FDNY) is the largest in the United States, covering 302 square miles and employing 17,000 uniformed firefighters and fire officers, more than 4,500 EMTs and paramedics and 2,000 civilian employees. FDNY has 255 firehouses across the City.

Located on streets throughout the City, fire stations typically have multiple buildings with a day room and residential areas, as well as an industrial area where the trucks and other fire fighting equipment are stored and maintained. Administrative spaces include dispatch centers, offices and conference rooms. Training and community education are also frequently carried out in fire station facilities.

The facility also contains garages for vehicle and equipment maintenance, laundry and a shop. These spaces are separated from the living space by a fire suppression wall to ensure that smoke and heat don’t affect the residential areas and vice versa. The day room, which includes kitchen and dining spaces, can double as a meeting space and may also have audiovisual equipment available. The dorm room is typically shared between firefighters on different crews and shifts.

In addition to the standard firefighting tools, equipment and machinery, many modern fire stations are equipped with specialized vehicles such as helicopters, fire boats, water jets, forcible entry systems and thermal imaging cameras. Some stations are also home to specialty rescue units, such as those trained in confined space rescue and trench rescue, or the Jaws of Life, an innovative tool for breaking free a trapped person from a car or other vehicle.

A wide variety of terminology exists in the world of firefighting, some more obscure than others. The following list is intended to help explain some of the more common terms used in the fire service.

Fire Truck – A motorized apparatus that carries the large mounted hydraulically raised 100 foot ladder and a wide range of other gear for various types of rescue. Fire engine – A motorized apparatus that carries larger ground ladders and a variety of other gear for specialized rescue or fire suppression functions. Hose Tower – A narrow tower that extends above a fire station building and serves the purpose of cleaning, drying and storing fire hoses.

Fully Involved – Term used to describe an incident where the fire, heat and smoke are so widespread that internal access must wait for the fire streams to be applied. TIC – Thermal imaging camera used to seek out hidden fires and down victims through smoke.

Staging Area – An area in close proximity to an incident where responding resources are assigned by the Incident Commander.

Rehab Area – A designated area for the organized process of rehydrating, active cooling, rest and medical assessment of exhausted firefighters to promote their safety and readiness.