North Davis Fire District (NDFD) contracted with Blalock & Partners Architectural Design Studio and TCA Architecture + Planning + Design (Design Team) originally to conduct a feasibility study on the existing NDFD Fire Station 42, located at 88 East Center St, Clearfield UT. The facility was constructed in 1980 to provide service to Clearfield City as a Volunteer Fire Department. In 2021, it is arguably one of the busiest fire stations in Utah with an annual call volume of approximately 3,200 calls, and an anticipated addition of a paramedic unit in 2022 with an additional 1,500 calls. NDFD has determined that the existing facility is not adequate to meet the current and near future demand, and does not have the adequate accommodations for 8 to 10 personnel to function and respond under these current conditions. NDFD therefore tasked the Design Team with evaluating two possible scenarios:
- Renovation of – and addition to – the existing facility;
- Demolition of the existing facility and replacement with new construction.
NDFD provided the Design Team with several requirements for a facility (provided under either of the two scenarios) that would meet their current and anticipated needs, including:
- (9) Firefighter dorms;
- Battalion chief dorm;
- Living quarters need to provide access for firefighter NFPA requirement of one minute turnout time;
- (4) Drive through bays, exiting north onto Center Street;
- Large training room seating up to 50 occupants.
The design team’s evaluations concluded with a recommendation to NDFD that a new fire station be built in place of the existing station. Working within a trapezoidal shaped site positioned at the corner of a busy intersection, the design team had to carefully craft an architectural solution that addressed several challenges, including:
- Providing safe ingress and egress of fire apparatuses between the bays and the streets;
- Instilling within the building a sense of civic prominence while still keeping firefighter dorms protected from the noisy intersection;
- Maintaining adequate space for a stormwater detention basin on the west portion of the site.
The design team developed a floor plan that addressed these challenges, as well as allowing for quick and intuitive access between any point in the station and the apparatus bays. Additionally, the configuration places the day room at a strategic centralized location that is equally accessible to the dorm wing, apparatus bays, and administration wing.
Conceptually, the design team found a plethora of inspiration from the local Hill Air Force Base (HAFB). Integral to Clearfield’s history and identity, and a source of pride to Clearfield’s residents, HAFB references can be found throughout the community including Clearfield’s City logo and Clearfield’s High School mascot (the Falcons). The design team particularly focused on the marriage of beauty and function that can be found in the F16 and F35 aircraft (as well as the aircraft hangars themselves), which fueled the team’s desire for the new Fire Station 42 to invoke a sense of movement, lift, and sleekness.
Construction is anticipated to be completed in the fall of 2024.