Lynnfield Fire Headquarters was identified as having multiple programming and design challenges in the feasibility study of new/remodeled facilities. These challenges include:
Lack of flexibility in moving apparatus (no drive-through capability)
No parking for on-duty staff, visitors or the public, including department vehicles not parked inside the apparatus bay.
Lack of dedicated space for firefighters’ protective gear, with gear hung in close proximity to apparatus and putting firefighters near apparatus exhaust fumes and particles.
Lack of appropriate storage for EMS supplies
Lack of decontamination room, which is essential for firefighter health and wellness to prevent occupational sickness
Lack of appropriate storage for hazardous materials and flammable liquids
Lack of appropriate equipment storage
Lack of separate facilities for male and female members
Lack of dedicated and appropriate sleeping quarters that is gender-specific and private
Lack of publicly-accessible space
Lack of adequate training space
Lack of operationally appropriate space for report-writing
Outdated file storage space
Outdated PA system
Outdated phone system
Equipment and tools in storage in the cramped basement.
Tools and equipment are stored in every available space in the maintenance room.
Fire apparatus parked in front of the station. At right, the police and fire station's only handicapped parking space is visible. If fire apparatus are out of the bays, navigating into the handicapped space can be a challenge.
A fire captain looks over the maintenance room in the fire station, where he can't stand up straight on the room's upper floor. At lower left, a stairway to the upper level was obtained from a playground slide and fastened into place by firefighters.
All of the fire departments personal protective equipment obtained during the COVID-19 pandemic is stored under a stairwell in the station's basement, along with old fire boxes.
The shower for male firefighters at the fire station.
The fire department's Tower Ladder, which would likely cost over $1 million to replace, barely fits into the fire station bay. Firefighters have to monitor ice and snow levels in front of the station throughout the winter, because if more than an inch of ice builds up on the asphalt in front of the station, the ladder truck will no longer fit inside.
The path that drivers must navigate if they need to use the station's only handicapped parking space while fire apparatus are parked in front of the bays.
Firefighter gear stored in the station's basement.
Firefighter lockers crammed in next to a toilet in the station.
Lockers have been placed in all available spaces in the station, but there still aren't enough lockers for all of the fire departments members at the station.
Insulation at the fire station that has fallen out of the ceiling.
Every bit of storage space at the station has been used.
Wrapped pipes and exposed wiring in the fire station.
A waste oil can in the maintenance area of the fire station.
Ceiling tiles showing evidence of leaks at the fire station.
Rust on the top of the department's Tower Ladder from scraping against the top of the station's bay doors in winter.
All available wall space in the station is used, even if it provides cramped quarters for donning protective gear.
The fire station's roof isn't high enough for the cab of the Tower Ladder to be fully and appropriately extended for maintenance, so firefighters have to use makeshift safety measures to ensure the cab will not drop down while maintenance is performed on the engine.
Minor damage that has since been painted over, from where the top of the Tower Ladder has scraped the fire station's bay doors in winter.
Firefighters have to don their gear in cramped quarters as they head toward emergency calls.
The station's lone piece of fitness equipment is located beneath a ladder, and next to the maintenance room where waste oil and tools are stored.
A makeshift dryer for firefighters' gear that a firefighter created using PVC pipes and a device typically used to inflate childrens' bouncy houses.
The kitchen is one of the station's nicer rooms, largely because firefighters obtained donated cabinets and refurbished it themselves.
