Fire Station No. 2

The proposed project involves demolition of the existing Fire Station and the construction of a new Fire Station situated on the current property.

The fire station (Station No. 2) serving the southern half of North Topsail Beach at 3304 Gray Street was constructed in 1987 and is a one-story pre-engineered metal building on a concrete slab. The station is situated on two parcels of land totaling about 0.38 acres. Onslow County GIS records report a structure of 5,000 square feet.

Existing Station No. 2 sits at approximately elevation +6.0 feet in FEMA designated flood zone AE 12. North Topsail Beach Fire reports several occasions of inundation and accumulation of mud to 27-inches vertically from high intensity storms. The existing building components are corroding, and the components are approaching the end of their functional life due to salt water and air exposure.

Since the required height of a structure is 2 feet above the BFE (2 feet + 12 feet = +14 feet) it is not feasible for vehicle access to be elevated to that level as that would require excessive slope in the apron. We have determined the apparatus function will be located on the ground floor +8 feet above sea level. The walls for this function will need to meet the flood proofing requirements of the building code. Per these restrictions, all other functions will be required to be located on an elevated second floor. We have designed the fire department operations be located at +14 feet or +/-6 feet above the elevated grade of the apparatus bays.

The fire department shall be composed of three separate functions: Vehicles and related equipment, station operations and staff quarters. The vehicle storage function will house four full-length vehicle apparatus bays, related gear wash, gear storage, decontamination, SCBA and other support spaces. Station operations includes the offices, workspaces, IT server and storage areas. The staff quarters area will include the day room, kitchen/eating, exercise/training, bunks, lockers, and showers. The bunks are four 2-person rooms. Remaining spaces include mechanical/electrical room and storage.

The sum of the spaces is approximately 11,643 square feet for both floors. This includes 8,549 square feet on the ground and first floor with 3,094 square feet on the second floor.

Ground floor walls will be composed primarily of load bearing concrete block units with flood vents. Metal stud construction is recommended due to its relatively low cost, ease of installation and its ability to resist rot and termite damage for all other exterior walls. Exterior finishes will be a light color cementitious siding to reflect heat, manufactured architectural stone veneer and synthetic trim. The structural system will include heavy reinforced concrete slab floors, steel joist and joist girders for floor and roof framing. Additional framing will be fabricated from load bearing cold-formed metal framing. The elevated floors will be poured concrete over metal decking and joists. The new fire station will be the most resilient and durable structure in the immediate area.