Canadian Manufacturer Provides Fire Station Solution

California city chooses clear span tension membrane building for temporary fire station

Foster City is located along the San Francisco Bay in Northern California and has an estimated population exceeding 30,000. In the spring of 2000, Foster City began the construction of a new Government Center that includes a new City Hall, modifications to the existing police station, and a new fire station within the one large structure. The previous fire station was demolished to allow room for construction so a temporary structure was required to store the fire departments emergency vehicles for two years.

On the recommendations of the project architect and after touring a fabric building structure at a neighboring jurisdiction, the structure that was chosen was a Cover-All TITAN building series manufactured by Cover-All Building Systems of Saskatchewan, Canada. Inside the completed 80 wide by 73 foot long Cover-All TITAN building the Foster City Fire Department was able to store three front line units, two reserve units, and a Battalion Chief Command vehicle. Smaller rooms were built within the TITAN structure to serve as a weight room facility and to store medical supplies, personal protective equipment and other supplies.

Code specifications for the Foster City Fire station required the galvanized steel frame system to be manufactured using a 5" diameter tube truss frame system. The building is classified as a Essential Facility by the State of California with an Importance Factor of 1.5 which required the building to be engineered to meet 40 psf snow loads, 110 mph 3-second wind gusts in a seismic Zone 4 area. The mechanical components include radiant heating, electrical installation, and an extensive ventilation system to exhaust diesel fumes. There are four electric bay entrances in the building that are each 14 wide by 20 high. Three of the electric bay doors are positioned on one end of the building to provide ample passage way for emergency exits. The fourth overhead door is positioned on the alternate 80 wide end to allow access into the rear of the building. Installation of the Cover-All TITAN shell required only seven days. Upon completion of the new permanent fire station, the Cover-All TITAN building will be sold by the Foster City Fire Department and relocated to a new site.