CLICK ABOVE FOR A GALLERY OF STATIONS 30 AND 20 >>

By Alan M. Petrillo

Two Seattle (WA) Fire Department stations designed by the same architectural firm, part of a city of Seattle program to improve all 34 of its fire stations with either seismic upgrades or build new stations, won prestigious Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) designations and Fire Industry Education Resource Organization (F.I.E.R.O.) Honor Awards, among other awards.

Fire Station 20 at 2800 15th Avenue West, designed by Schacht Aslani Architects of Seattle, was certified as LEED Platinum in 2015 with 98 points, the highest score of any new building the United States and the highest score of any fire station, and won the F.I.E.R.O. Honor Award in 2016.

Fire Station 30 at 2931 S. Mt. Maker Blvd., also designed by Schacht Aslani, was certified LEED Gold in 2010, won the F.I.E.R.O. Honor Award in 2011, a Seattle Design Commission Award for Design Excellence in 2011, a Copper Development Association award for copper in architecture in 2012, and an AIA WA Council Civic Design Awards citation in 2013.

David L. Jackson, Fire Levy program manager for Seattle, says Station 20 was the city's smallest fire station. "It was so small, one of the firefighters staffing it had to sleep in the kitchen," Jackson points out. "The station needed to be larger and provide more space for modern specialized firefighting equipment."

Jackson notes the station needed decon rooms and a day room as well as apparatus bays large enough to fit any of the department's fleet of vehicles at any time, from the biggest ladder to the smallest medic unit. "Neither Station 20, built in the 1960s, nor Station 30, built in 1949, had that capacity," he says. "They were fine for their era, but needed to be replaced."

Architect Eric Aman was involved in both station design projects, he says, "from the interview process with the city and fire department, through design, and completion of construction on the stations." Aman started with Station 30, a neighborhood two-apparatus-bay station staffed by a crew of four. "The department had a need for emergency medical services (EMS) staff at the station, so we included future staff accommodation for two more members and more apparatus space," Aman says. "We designed and built a 10,000-square-foot facility in the Rainer Valley, where it sits on a fairly busy arterial with heavy pedestrian traffic because of a light rail station across the street."

Station 30 was built on a liquefaction zone, which is an unusual place to locate a fire station because of the type of soil, Aman says. "We had to make sure the structural system would support the loading of the apparatus," he says. "Originally the department wanted a more traditional masonry appearance, so we looked at brick, stone, and block, but the soil conditions meant we needed a lighter frame system. We went with a wood fra

Turnout gear is vital to protect responders in their everyday operations. However, the National Fire Protection Association’s Fourth Needs Assessment of the U.S. Fire Service reported that 13 percent of departments do not have enough personal protective clothing for all of their emergency responders, and nearly three-quarters (72 percent) of departments reported that at least some of their personal protective clothing was at least 10 years old. The need is greatest in communities under 10,000, which are typically served by all- or mostly-volunteer departments.

Globe, DuPont Protection Solutions (DuPont), and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) have teamed up to support local responders with much needed gear through the Globe Gear Giveaway. Now in its sixth year, eligible departments can apply for four sets of new, state-of-the-art turnout gear to better protect their members.

The application period for the 2017 Globe Gear Giveaway is now open. A total of 52 sets of gear will be awarded to 13 departments in need. The first 500 applicants will also receive a one-year NVFC membership, courtesy of Globe.

“The NVFC is grateful to Globe and DuPont for recognizing the need for gear among resource-constrained volunteer departments and working to enhance the safety and protection of our boots on the ground firefighters,” said NVFC Chairman Kevin D. Quinn. “Through this program we have been able to provide over 350 firefighters with the gear they need to safely and effectively do their jobs.”

In order to apply for the Globe Gear Giveaway, departments must meet the following criteria:
• be all-volunteer or mostly-volunteer (over 50 percent)
• serve a population of 25,000 or less
• be located in the U.S. or Canada and legally organized under state/province law
• demonstrate a need for the gear
• department or person applying must be a member of the NVFC. To help struggling departments meet the membership criteria, Globe will provide a complimentary NVFC Membership to the first 500 applicants.

“Globe is honored to give back to some of the many volunteer fire departments with limited resources by providing the most advanced turnout gear,” said Rob Freese, Senior VP of Marketing at Globe Manufacturing Company. “We’re grateful for the thousands of volunteer firefighters who protect our communities every day. They deserve the best personal protection to ensure their own safety.”

“DuPont is proud to be working together with Globe to support the NVFC again this year through this much needed gear donation program,” said Christine Christmas, North American Marketing Manager, DuPont Protection Solutions. “With our strong commitment to help protect our protectors we want to ensure that they have the right gear to focus on their job and their communities. Working with Globe we can make the best for the best – 100 percent of Globe’s turnout gear is made with DuPont™ Nomex® and Kevlar® fibers providing proven protection and top performance.”

Learn more and apply for Globe gear at www.nvfc.org/globe-gear-giveaway. The deadline to apply is June 1, 2017. Winners will be announced monthly between July and December.


About Globe
Firefighters need to be prepared to perform at their peak, on every call. That’s why Globe delivers the most advanced, best-fitting, and longest lasting protection by listening to our customers, creating breakthrough designs, and applying the engineering skills of the nation’s most trusted turnout gear manufacturer. Globe turnout gear is designed to protect you, move with you, and improve your performance. It’s