Station #1
Location: 911 N Rose Hill Rd., Rose Hill, Kansas
Square Feet: 14,795
Construction Period: May 2003 – January 2004
STATION #1
The Butler County Fire District No. 3 facility is located in Rose Hill, in the South-Central region of Kansas. The client’s primary concerns for this facility included durability, tempered by livability.
Western Butler County, in the Wichita, Kansas metropolitan area, has experienced prolific population growth over the last decade. It was Butler County’s desire to have a facility that would handle near term growth and require relatively low maintenance over a fifty year life. The building site is at a high-visibility location on Rose Hill’s main street, nestled amongst retail and residential developments. Full-view sectional overhead doors face the street, allowing local residents to see the personnel and equipment that help protect them.
The building provides ten fire apparatus bays and one ambulance bay. Medical equipment storage and a Biohazard Room are provided adjacent to the ambulance bay.
Mezzanine storage areas are stationed at the north and south ends of the vehicle bay area, with additional storage rooms at the main floor level. Interior vehicle exhaust ducts, water hoses, compressed air hoses and extra electrical outlets are accessible from each vehicle bay. Trench drains are also located at each bay. The bays are heated by radiant heaters and covered by a pre-finished metal ceiling with intermittent access panels.
Interior spaces were designed with quick access to the apparatus bay area as a top priority. The public entrance accesses a lobby, restrooms and a training/ conference room. Access control is provided to the remainder of the facility. Personnel within the primary crew office have a good view of the front lobby and can see through to the street.
To accommodate future 24 hour/day staffing, bunk rooms and shower facilities are provided for male and female staff-with flexibility to accommodate changing ratios. A comfortable break room with a full kitchen and lounge is also provided for off-duty crew.
To address the concern for durability, the building was designed to have a reinforced concrete masonry structure with a combination of brick and limestone veneer. Additional masonry reinforcing and a composite roof deck was engineered for the training room for storm protection. To provide a quality appearance and facilitate interior durability, the apparatus bay area was provided with sealed ground-face concrete masonry up to the door head height. Located in “Tornado Alley”, this facility would be a viable emergency operations center with its storm shelter, backup generator and central location within Rose Hill.
Site circulation is managed by providing separate public and staff/emergency vehicle street entrances. Front and back approaches to apparatus bays were sized to allow for a large truck turn radius. A “faux stone” concrete wall was placed along one side of the fire station property both to tie in with walls used elsewhere in an adjacent residential development and to separate the property from an adjacent retail building.
Building description courtesy of Kraybill Associates, Architect
Station #2
Location: 12484 SW 160th St., Rose Hill, Kansas
Square Feet: 1200
Construction Period: 1994
STATION #2
Station #2 was constructed to meet the need for quicker fire responses in the northwest areas of the District. Station #2 currently houses Engine 32 and Tanker 33. Construction is pole with wooden trusses and steel siding. It is fully insulated and heated. The east half of the structure is occupied by Pleasant Township and is used as their equipment facility.