By Alan M. Petrillo

Cypress Creek Fire Department has opened its fifth fire station, Station 25, in the southern part of its protection district in response to heavy development in the area during the past few years.

Richard Lieder, Cypress Creek’s chief, notes that “There was very little development in that area for many years, but especially in the past five years, we’ve seen heavy development, including two residential subdivisions, a hotel, restaurants, a midrise commercial building, and several very large warehouses and light industrial facilities.” He adds that the drive times from the two closest stations to that area were unacceptable, so the department focused on building Station 25 to serve the current and future needs of the area.

Lieder says that Cypress Creek is a combination department that staffs each station 24/7 with four firefighters using a mix of paid, hourly, and volunteer firefighters.

Joby Copley, partner at Joiner Architects, says his firm has been in business 45 years mostly on designing and building fire and EMS (emergency medical services) stations. He notes that Harris County Emergency Services District 13, which Cypress Creek Fire Department is a part of, has been a long-time client of Joiner, with his firm designing a number of new stations and renovations for the district. “The department’s specific requirements were essentially that they wanted a large station that has a maintenance-free exterior, so we used multiple color brick veneer and some tile, along with a sloping shed roof.” The completed Station 25 is 14,627 square feet and has three 90-foot-deep, drive-through apparatus bays.

Lieder says that because the Houston area has a history of flooding, the department wanted to be sure it would not be a problem with Station 25. “We worked with engineers to excavate a large retention pond at the rear of the site, and then raised the station area floor level to the maximum available with that dirt,” he points out. “Another requirement we had for Station 25 was that all the glass and doors had to be rated to withstand 140-mile-per-hour hurricane wind, and we had Joiner put in additional dorm rooms so that during hurricanes or other natural disasters, we would be able to bring in a second or third shift and have plenty of space for everyone.”

Copley says Joiner designed the station with 12 individual dorm rooms, including two dorms for the fire and EMS captains, and six unisex shower/restrooms. The station has a very large kitchen and dining area, he adds, along with a day room that’s set up with stadium seating. “There also are four pantries for three fire shifts and an EMS shift,” he says, “and an outdoor patio where firefighters can grill and eat when the weather permits.”

On the opposite side of the apparatus bays from the living area, Joiner installed a decon room and turnout gear storage room with their own exhaust ventilation system, and a utility room and work area. “We put in vehicle exhaust systems for the apparatus,” Copley notes, “and added a secondary system in the bays t