By Alan M. Petrillo
Fire station designers and architects are taking special care with new stations in terms of keeping contaminants away from firefighters’ living spaces and contained in areas labeled hot zones where contaminated gear and equipment are cleaned and stored. There are a number of types of flooring available to them that best fit those considerations.
Scott Csendes, director of public facilities for KZF Design, points out that with concerns about carcinogens getting into living areas and with the COVID-19 pandemic, many fire departments switched from carpeting in living areas to either sealed concrete or luxury vinyl tile (LVT) flooring. “We are putting in a lot more LVT, which has some padding to it, is easy to clean and sterilize, helps a bit with acoustical issues, and is available both as a sheet product and in plank form,” Csendes says.
“If a department chooses concrete in the living area, there are different ways it can be finished,” he notes. “The lowest end is concrete sealed with a polymer, which has more of an industrial look and has to be resurfaced every three to five years. The middle grade would be an epoxy finish on the concrete, where the epoxy has some thickness to it, can be opaque or colored, is easily cleaned, and is relatively bulletproof to stains. Another method is where the concrete is treated by acid washing or grinding a fraction of the top to flatten it, giving the concrete a pebbly look. Often, we’d put a stain on top of that for color and to give it texture.”
Kevin Spector, chief creative officer for SMP Design, says many departments are choosing hard, seamless surfaces for their living spaces, including dorms, day rooms, kitchens, offices, and conference areas. “We’re seeing a preference for polished concrete, where it’s ground and polished to a satin finish that’s easily cleaned and seamless,” Spector says.
SMP also has seen a trend toward using LVT in fire stations. “These wood-look planks glue down like vinyl tile and are especially popular in eating and office areas and in sleeping spaces,” he says. “It is softer underfoot than concrete, butts together tightly to form nonseams as good as sheet vinyl, and is a very popular material.” The one place where Spector says SMP sees a little carpet being used is in a station’s main vestibule. “We install an outdoor-grade carpet that has the job of pulling material off the soles of boots and shoes,” he notes. “Sometimes the area has a polished concrete floor and then the department has an outside service bring in an area carpet mat that can be replaced with a clean one at intervals.”
Ken Newell, principal at Stewart-Cooper-Newell (SCN) Architects, agrees that the trend in station floors is toward hard surfaces. “Durability and maintenance-free flooring are the driving forces, along with preventing the transfer of contaminants, viruses, and particulates,” Newell observes. “When departments get rid of carpet, they get rid of allergen and mold issues.” Newell notes that SCN also is seeing a lot of use of LVT in station living areas. “It’s a very cost-effective product, is easy to maintain, and doesn’t require any stripping or waxing,” he says.
Besides LVT, SCN also recommends the use of sealed or polished concrete or epoxy finished concrete. “They are not zero maintenance,” he adds, “and depending on the surface and the sealer used, they must be retreated at certain intervals. But they are available in variations of colors, textures, and patterns.” Newell says SCN also has been using Kinetics, a carpet-like product that has plastic fibers made from recycled water bottles. “The fibers are drawn out and stand horizontal, so they don’t allow things to collect into it,” Newell says. “The product looks and feels like carpet and gives sound qualities like carpet but cleans like a vinyl floor. It’s great for tho