Gaston Fire Station No. 11

Seismic retrofits face challenges even in unoccupied buildings. Unfortunately, not all communities have the infrastructure to allow stations to be vacated during construction. This was the case for the Seismic Retrofit effort at Gaston Fire Station No. 11 of the Gaston Rural Fire District

With the fire station needing to be operational throughout the retrofit, phasing construction became a key item in the design development and execution of the construction. As with many of our efforts funded by the State’s Seismic Rehabilitation Grant Program (SRGP), ZCS recommended that the District utilize the CM/GC contractor procurement methodology. This allowed ZCS to work with the contractor during design and develop a phasing scheme that worked for both the design and construction operations. The contractor’s crews concentrated construction efforts in half the apparatus bays and a portion of the station, allowing the fire crews to continue working unimpeded. When Phase 1 was complete, Phase 2 flipped fire operations to the newly constructed areas, and the District was able to maintain its ability to respond to calls throughout construction.