Major renovations of two of Shawnee’s older fire stations are coming soon.
Dozens of residents got a first look Wednesday evening at conceptual designs for the projects. The Shawnee Fire Department is planning to revamp:
- Fire Station 71, the department headquarters, also known as the John B. Glaser Fire station, at 6501 Quivira Road
- and Fire Station 73 at 6805 Hedge Lane Terrace.
Chief Rick Potter of the Shawnee Fire Department led a design presentation in a public meeting at headquarters inside the John B. Glaser Fire Station.
GLMV Architecture is heading up design and construction services for the $26.2 million project.
“This is a day where we get to share what’s been months of work already for us to be able to share it with the public,” Potter said, “see the design, see the work, share our priorities, what the thoughts are, the objectives, and to be able to share it with the public.”
While the framework of both fire stations will remain mostly the same, much of the interior layout in both stations will be reconfigured.
Fire Station 73 will also have a small addition to improve layout. Potter named the top design priorities for improvements at the fire stations, which address:
- Health and safety of firefighters: Improved separation among truck bays and areas with higher contaminants (equipment and suits can leak carcinogens even after cleaning)
- Turnout times: Reconfiguration of layout to bring sleeping areas closer to truck bays for faster response to emergencies
- Behavioral health of firefighters: Adjustments that make the fire stations feel warmer and more inviting, because firefighters spend so much time at work
- Improved station alerting system: This ensures firefighters are only alerted to calls specific to their shifts (e.g. a firefighter working the water rescue team will only hear calls pertaining to water rescue)
- Improved privacy: Adding individual sleeping rooms for increased privacy (especially for men and women) and better quality sleep
- Adjusted traffic patterns: Separation between emergency vehicles and public traffic for safety
Below are some conceptual design images:
Renovation efforts will also include tie-ins to Shawnee’s sister city of Erfurt, Germany, as well as the namesake for Fire Station 71, fallen firefighter John B. Glaser.
Among those in attendance at the meeting Wednesday was Patty Glaser, John’s mother.
“It’s an honor that is very hard to explain, because it just means the world to us, and to his children, he left two babies,” said Patty Glaser. “Amber, his wife, and I would say there’s nothing more you guys could do for us as a family, because that was the ultimate call, for making the ultimate sacrifice.”
Shawnee will continue to move through design and pre-construction steps, with the city potentially approving a final design in October.
Construction could begin in December, with a targeted completion date of April 2024.
