Henrico County Fire Station No. 19

Needing a second firehouse to serve the county’s burgeoning population, Henrico County’s Firehouse #19 was an opportunity to depart from an old prototype design to create a new kit-of-parts that reflected the most current thinking in fire station design. Planning for the 11,000 sf, one-story station prioritized response times, firefighter health and safety, modern apparatus sizes, and sustainability.

The station was designed and built to meet LEED Silver standards, accommodate a staff of 31 firefighters, and provide a home to an engine, a truck, and a fire medic unit as well as the Robotics Response Team. It also includes individual sleeping quarters for its staff and features three apparatus bays, with bright red doors that fold open from the sides. The county enlisted Schnabel to evaluate the subsurface conditions at the site and provide geotechnical engineering recommendations regarding the design of foundations, earthwork, and pavements for the new station.

We provided the full range of construction materials testing services and acted as the Special Inspector for this project. Deficiencies that arose relating to Special Inspections were tracked and resolution was documented through a Deficiency Log maintained throughout the project. We also worked with the county to evaluate the expected quantities of unsuitable soils during construction and to assess deep, uncontrolled utility backfill that was placed by previous developers at the site. Our construction phase services on this project were preceded by geotechnical design services.