2024 FIRE FACILITIES DESIGN AWARDS PROGRAM

Saturday, September 21st, 2024, the Fire Industry Education Resource Organization (F.I.E.R.O.) will
convene its 18th Annual Fire Station Design Awards Program Jury. Six Jurors, drawn from across the US,
all with professional experience in both design practice and the fire service will review the
entries. Their collective experience always ensures rigorous project reviews, yielding respected jury
decisions.

In conducting its annual Fire Station Design Awards Program, F.I.E.R.O. seeks to recognize excellence in
the design and construction of fire stations and related emergency facilities. F.I.E.R.O. also seeks by its
design awards program to encourage continued quality investments in these special purpose, “civic-
pride” buildings.

The awards program is open to design firms or emergency services agencies that have brought a
facility on-line during the past seven (7) years or have a project “On-the-Boards” that has not yet been
approved for construction by the funding authority. Design awards may also be given for outstanding
examples of major fire station addition and/or renovation projects as well as for deactivated iconic fire
stations that have been adapted to use for another purpose. Design awards can also be earned for
noteworthy innovations, outstanding attention to health and safety issues, and for “legacy” fire
stations.

Submissions for the F.I.E.R.O. Design Awards Jury’s review may include career, combination, volunteer,
industrial brigade, airport, and military fire stations. Submissions may also include other special
purpose emergency facility including EMS stations, rescue squads, training centers, apparatus service
and repair buildings, 911 Call Centers and EOC facilities.

The companion annual 22nd Annual F.I.E.R.O. Fire Station Design Symposium for 2024 will get
underway on the 23rd of September.

The Design Awards Jury

The awards jury will be composed of 6 members whose professional careers have given them experience
in the issues involved with the building types from both the fire service side and design office side of fire
facilities design and construction projects. Jury member bios will be posted on the F.I.E.R.O. Fire Station
Design Symposium’s website. Jury member bios will also be made available to symposium attendees via
the symposium’s Resource Document. Jury members will be in attendance throughout the
symposium. All in attendance at the symposium will have a chance to meet and engage with the jurors.

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 Design Award Categories

New Construction: Fire stations and other special purpose emergency facilities that have been placed
in service within the last
seven (7) years.

Additions/Renovations: Fire stations and other special purpose emergency facilities projects that have
been completed within the last seven (7) years.

On-the-Boards: Fire stations and other special purpose emergency facilities that have been designed
but have not yet been approved for construction. This award seeks to encourage the funding authority
to proceed with the project as designed.

Adaptations: Buildings originally constructed for other purposes that have been modified within the
last seven (7) years for use as a fire station or other special purpose emergency facility.

Preservations: Decommissioned fire stations that have been converted to other uses.

Legacy: Fire stations and other emergency facilities at least 25 years old that have stood the “test of
time” by remaining in use for the original purpose, remaining largely as originally designed and have
become a building truly noteworthy in promoting community and a sense of civic “pride of place.”

Innovation: Recognition by the Jury of noteworthy solutions to a fire facility that might have
transferrable understanding. Examples of innovation might include programmatic insight, site
constrain solutions, economies, flexibility solutions, new technology, and solutions that enhance
firefighter health, safety, and wellbeing.

EMS Focused: Recognition by the Jury of noteworthy solutions to an EMS facility that might have
transferrable understanding. Examples might include stand-alone EMS Facilities, adaptations of an
existing structure for specific EMS use, or incorporation of EMS needs within an existing Fire or Police
Station.

Design Award Levels

Honor (Gold) will go to those projects for which all 6 jurors agree the project exemplifies excellence in
all aspects of planning and design including site plan, floor plan(s), innovation, and architectural image.

Merit (Silver) will go to those projects for which 5 out of 6 jurors agree the project exemplifies
excellence in all aspects of planning and design including site plan, floor plan(s), innovation, and
architectural image.

Recognition (Bronze) will go to those projects for which 4 out of 6 jurors agree the project exemplifies
excellence in all aspects of planning and design including site plan, floor plan(s), innovation, and
architectural image.

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NEW THIS YEAR! Health & Safety Awards will go to those projects that exemplify excellence in
innovations and/or design solutions towards health and safety. Examples may include specific spaces
for decontamination of tools, equipment, apparatus or personnel. Other examples could refer to
specific detailing or systems that promote the ease of maintenance and/or cleanliness of a space or
Station.

Regardless of award status, all F.I.E.R.O. Fire Station Design Award Program entries will be, on public
display during the Fire Station Design Symposium. Station Design Award Winners will be announced in
a “Report from the Jury” as one of the symposium’s presentation sessions. There are no preset
number of awards to be issued.

INSTRUCTIONS AND REQUIREMENTS 2024 SUBMISSIONS

SUBMISSION FORMAT PART 1

A maximum of two presentation “story board” panel layouts per project submission shall be submitted
as instructed below. The content and design composition of the panel(s) is left to the discretion of the
entrant.

Each panel shall be 47” wide and 30” tall, full bleed. If 2 panels are used in a submission, images
and/or graphics shall not overlap the 2 panels. If more than one panel is submitted for an entry, in the
lower righthand corners, place a “1” or “2” to designate the panel order.

The layout may contain photos, diagrams, text, etc. to explain and demonstrate the project. On the
display panel(s), you may include some of the project data information required in Part 2.4 of the
Submission Format.
The composition layout must show the site plan and floor plan(s) along with a north arrow and
appropriate graphic scales.

To facilitate sharing of the entry panel(s) via the jury member’s computer screen and possible inclusion
in the Report from the Jury, there will be no exceptions to the horizontal orientation of the panel(s).

Be reminded again that jurors with design education backgrounds and professional experience in
design practice will be reviewing the entries. The graphic layout and design of the panels may condition
their response to the project!

The name of the project, the name of the using agency or department, the name of the design firm,
the name of the design firm of record if different and the firm name or name of any fire station design
consultant involved shall appear as an integral part of the composition of the panel(s).

The F.I.E.R.O. Symposium’s display of the projects is a “showcase” opportunity for the firms involved.

PDF files of the 47” x 30” display board composition(s) shall be sent to Heritage Printing and Graphics
in Charlotte, NC for printing, mounting and delivery to F.I.E.R.O. for transport to the jury venue. The

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layout composition(s) will be printed on photo quality stock and mounted on 3/16” stiff display
board(s).

No other project entry delivery method will be recognized. Having one vendor complete the printing
and mounting ensures that all the boards are the same 47” x 30” dimension, orientation and the
surface finish of the mounted composition is the same for each entrant.

Charges for Heritage’s printing and mounting service is the responsibility of the entrant and will need
to be arranged at the time of your print services order.

NEW THIS YEAR! Contact Susannah Haskell [email protected] or Nicole Gray

[email protected] for questions about print service requirements or file transfers. Be
prepared to provide the following information when placing your print order with Heritage:

1. Company Name
2. Company Billing Address
3. Name as listed on the credit card being used for the order
4. Expiration date on the credit card
5. Zip code for the credit card billing statement
6. 3-digit security code

PART 1 BOARDS DUE DATE PDF files for the presentation boards shall be sent to Susannah Haskell or
Nicole Gray at Heritage Print and Graphics no later than 5 PM (Eastern), Friday, August 16, 2024. No
exceptions! (To ensure time for Heritage to make an on-time delivery to F.I.E.R.O. without undue system
stress, the Part 1 Due Date is earlier than in prior years.)

SUBMISSION FORMAT PART 2

NEW THIS YEAR! One file folder only shall be transferred via a Dropbox™ LINK only to Head Juror Jim
Zwerg [email protected]. No other folder transfer platform or method will be accepted. The
folder’s label shall be the name of the entrant/project.

The properly labeled single folder must contain the following four (4) folders using only the folder
naming conventions shown here:

2.1. Panel Images The first folder labeled “1. Panels” shall contain a pdf copy of the image file(s) for
the panel composition(s). All folders will become part of the F.I.E.R.O. Archives.

2.2. Slide Presentation The second folder labeled “2. Slide Presentation” is to contain a PowerPoint™
presentation about the project with no more that 20 additional images not used on the panel(s). The
PowerPoint™ images may be context information or diagrams, program notes, site analysis drawings,
concept diagrams, schematic evolution, design development issues, construction progress images, etc.;
in short, any additional information that will help explain to the jury the design team’s approach to the

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project’s solution. In addition to the expository images, import into the beginning of the slide
presentation the presentation panel(s) as the first (and second) slide image followed by a blank slide.

2.3. Images The third folder labeled “3. Images” shall contain each individual image and plan used in
the panel composition and each image used in the PowerPoint™ presentation. All plans and images
shall be in .jpg format only. The submitted images may be used to facilitate the production of a
F.I.E.R.O.-generated PowerPoint™ presentation of the award winners to be given at the symposium at
a time TBD. See the symposium schedule when available for the “Report from the Jury.” The images
may also be used by F.I.E.R.O. in other media outlets to promote the symposium, the awards program
or to otherwise encourage progress in fire station design.

2.4. Project Data The fourth folder labeled “4. Project Data” shall contain a Word file and a pdf file
format document listing the project’s data.

All project data listed shall comply with the format and sequence shown on the next page, namely
Right Justification for data categories followed by Left Justification for the statements providing the
requested information. If for some reason a data request cannot be provided, leave the category blank.

The data format does not have to be followed for any data included on the entry panel(s). Data
included on the panel(s) becomes part of the design layout of the board(s).

NEW THIS YEAR! If you are not sure of the data layout format, contact Head Juror Jim Zwerg
[email protected] for a template. See data layout format below.

2024 F.I.E.R.O. Fire Facilities Project Data Sheet

Project Name
Fire Agency Name
Fire Agency Type
Project Location (City/County/State)
Architect of Record
Consultant(s)
Contractor
Site Size
Building Square Footage
Budget for Land
Budget for Building and Site Improvements
Actual Cost for Land
Actual Cost for Building and Site Improvements
Completion Month and Year
Size of Typical Duty Crew
Crew Capacity
Number of Bays
Number of Sleeping Units
Principal Structure Type

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 Principal Exterior Building Materials
Principal Interior Building Materials
Green Initiatives
Health, Safety and Wellness Initiatives
Unexpected Problems Encountered
Special Programmatic Issues of Project

PART 2 DUE DATE Dropbox™ entry folder transfer must be accomplished no later than 5 PM (Eastern),
Friday, August 23, 2024. Sooner is better! Each entrant shall confirm receipt of the Drop Box Link
transferred master folder by the jury organizer via a follow up email or phone call to Head Juror Jim
Zwerg [email protected].

Entry Fee and Payment: $625.00 (US) for each entry (US dollars only) payable to F.I.E.R.O. through the
symposium’s web site.

Additional Terms & Conditions

By entering the awards program, a submitter agrees to have their submission(s) displayed at the 2024
F.I.E.R.O. Fire Station Design Symposium and possible additional venues as selected and arranged by
F.I.E.R.O. A submitter further agrees to allow F.I.E.R.O. to submit their project(s) for publication and
display as F.I.E.R.O. deems appropriate. By entering, a submitter agrees that any images submitted
may be used by F.I.E.R.O. or by any other entity that may be deemed appropriate and assigned by
F.I.E.R.O. to promote any future F.I.E.R.O. Fire Station Design Symposia. By entering the awards
program, the submitter, and their project photographer(s), whether in-house or outside contracted,
shall by so entering grant tacit approval to any future publication of the images contained in the
submission package if and as assigned to other entities that may be deemed appropriate by F.I.E.R.O.

Questions?

Questions about the F.I.E.R.O. Fire Station Design Awards Program should be directed to Head Juror
Jim Zwerg [email protected] or via voice at 602-402-1714.