Business South August 2020

| 61 Volume 29 | Issue 4 businesssouth The Queenstown Fire Station Project We are pleased to provide structural design services for The Queenstown Fire Station project. COMMUNITY » FENZ Queenstown Queenstown fire station taking shape The new Queenstown Fire Station will accommodate three appliances and have more room for volunteers to stay on site. Richard Loader E xcitement and anticipation is mounting as the Queenstown Volunteer Fire Brigade prepares to move into its new fire station in Queenstown’s CBD. The upgrade is part of Fire and Emergency’s national programme to seismically strengthen all fire stations to meet the minimum 67% of New Building Standard. Built in 1974, the old station had undergone a number of alterations and additions over the years, including a second floor training room and four ad- ditional bedrooms complementing the original two bedrooms. Seismically prone, a leaking roof, asbestos and inadequate bedrooms resulted in the decision to effectively demolish the old station which was no longer considered fit for purpose, building a new one on the same site. “We’re doing 450 plus call-outs a year and had outgrown the station given Queenstown’s signifi- cant growth in recent years,” says Michael Adam, Fire and Emergency Property Coordinator. “Providing accommodation for more volunteers will improve the brigade’s ability to respond to incidents.” Built by lead contractor Hawkins, construction of the station commenced October last year and is expected to be completed mid-September 2020. “The old station has been gutted and flattened down to ground floor slab which has been strength- ene,” says Michael. “Some of the existing concrete columns and beams have been retained with steel framing added for structural strength. A mono pitch roof with exter- nal guttering has been added, cladding the exterior with a mix of James Hardie products and schist in keeping with the local surroundings.” The new two-level station will accommodate three appliances with four bedrooms, kitchen, ablu- tion area including accessible shower and toilet, operations room, PPE room and decontamination room completing the lower level. The upper level includes five more bedrooms, kitchen, ablution room and training room. An item relegated to fire brigade nostalgia, there is no fireman’s pole providing quick access from upper to lower level. Built to 100% of New Building Standard, the new station has been engineered to perform to Importance Level 4 of the Building Code ensuring operational continuity immediately after an earth- quake or other disaster. “The new building will be future proofed and resilient,” says Michael. “There will be a fixed generator on site to maintain continuity of power in the event of mains failure. “It is also wired for data throughout the building, connecting to the operations room, ensuring the building can adapt to future technological changes. “The operations room has utilised an availability system. Volunteers mark on their phone when they are available during certain days of the week and if an incident call comes in the operations room shows who should be arriving at the station to at- tend the incident.” While construction is underway, a temporary sta- tion has been set up at the back of the old station using a scaffold frame with a temporary roof. The busiest volunteer station in Otago and South- land last year, the entirely volunteer brigade attend a diverse range of incidents including commercial and residential fire and road accidents over a large geographic area in the greater Wakatipu Basin. “We’re doing 450 plus call-outs a year and had outgrown the station....”