Joint Crash Fire Rescue Station

Burns & McDonnell provided consulting services to the Massachusetts Air National Guard and the Air National Guard Bureau to support the planning, design, acquisition and construction management for a new Crash Fire Rescue (CFR) facility for the 102nd Fighter Wing at Otis Air National Guard Base in Bourne, Mass. Responsibilities for supporting the two-phase acquisition included writing acquisition documents, producing definitive design documents and specifications, preparing technical design documents for the RFP and assisting with selection and evaluation of design-build contractors.

The CFR facility provides accommodations and support facilities for three user groups, a Civilian or Operations Group (Ops), an Air National Guard (ANG) Unit Training Assembly (UTA) contingent and an Army National Guard (ARNG) UTA contingent.   

Sited to the west of Runway 5-23 and south of Runway 14-32, the CFR facility, at 48,165 gross square feet, will provide the base’s fire-fighting staff with an efficient, state-of the-art, modern facility. The Ops area includes eight tandem-loaded vehicle bays and accommodations for up to 29 fire-fighting and support personnel. The Ops facility is in operation 24 hours a day, seven days a week and has been equipped with all the amenities necessary to house and support 24 full-time, civilian fire fighters. The ANG and ARNG UTA area includes three tandem-loaded vehicle bays with training and support space for 27 and 21 personnel respectively.

Design Objectives

• Provide an efficient, functional floor plan while still maintaining some degree of separation between the various user groups.
• Provide fast and secure access to airside emergencies while also providing convenient access to landside activities.
• Reinforce the base architectural standards and provide a facility compatible with its surroundings.

• Provide a maintainable and energy efficient facility.

Design Features

• The new CFR facility exterior materials and design are compatible with the base’s architectural standards and conform to the latest ANG design requirements.
• Two-story structure with split face, block plinth coursing and brick veneer above with soldier coursing, contrasting precast sills and lintels and a 4:12 sloped, pre-finished, standing seam, metal roof.  
• Exterior design elements include gable end roof pitches, glass enclosed vestibules at entries with matching window types, a multi-purpose hose drying tower and fully glazed apparatus bay doors.
• The hose tower acts as a focal point for arriving personnel and visitors from landside.
• A staggered floor plan allows the fullest utilization of available flat building site without excessive back filling and permitted the hose tower to clear the Transitional Surfaces requirement.
• Ops and ANG/ARNG apparatus bays located at opposite ends of the facility to minimize cross-circulation.