Foster City Fire Department

 

Location: Foster City, CA
Building Size: 80' W x 73' L
Application: Temporary Fire Hall - Apparatus Bay Fabric Building

Fabric Covered Temporary Building and Portable Fire Hall

Milestones Temporary Steel Truss, Fabric Building

The Foster City Fire Hall 80' W x 73' L fabric building.

 

When Foster City officials needed a temporary building for two years during the construction of the new fire hall, project architect DES Architects & Engineers of Redwood City, CA recommended a 80 wide x 73 long fabric covered rounded peak building as the ideal solution.

 

Located along the San Francisco Bay in northern California, structural calculations for the tension fabric structure had to take into consideration the high winds common to the area. A custom fabric building with a heavier galvanized steel frame was designed. The steel tubing used is 5" in diameter, a heavier gauge than what is commonly used for a fabric building this size.

 

"The fabric structure is classified as an Essential Facility by the State of California with an Importance Factor of 1.5 which requires the building to be engineered to meet 110 mph 3-second wind gusts in a seismic zone four area," says Gary Barnett, project manager, DES Architects & Engineers.

 

"The temporary fabric building is classified as an Essential Facility by the State of California with an Importance Factor of 1.5 which requires the building to be engineered  to meet 110 mph 3-second wind gusts in a seismic zone four area." 

-- Gary Barnett

The mechanical components in the fabric building include radiant heating and an extensive ventilation system to exhaust engine fumes. There are four bay entrances in the fabric building that are each 14' x 20' foot. Three of the electric bay doors are positioned at one end of the building to provide ample clearance for emergency vehicles. The fourth overhead door is at the 80 foot wide end of the fabric building so the ladder fire engine can drive-through. Installation of the tension fabric structure was completed in just seven days.

Foster City Fire Department stores three front-line fire engines, two reserve units and a Battalion Chief command vehicle. A weight room and a storeroom were constructed inside the fabric structure as well.

When the construction of the new fire department is complete and the temporary structure is no longer needed, Foster City plans to sell the temporary fabric building and relocate it to a new site.

 

Temporary Fire Hall - Fabric Buildings

The 14' x 20' electric bay doors provide an ample passage way for emergency exits.

 

Temporary Fire Hall - Fabric Building

Mechanical components include radiant heating, electrical and extensive ventilation.

 

Temporary Fire Hall -Fabric Building

Extensive ventilation was installed to exhaust engine fumes.

 

Milestones Logo