HOT and Heavy

Dynamic new fire stations are sprouting up across the Beehive State to handle rising population demands, with an emphasis on firefighter health and safety and maximizing space utilization.
By Taylor Larsen and Brad Fullmer

Perched on the east bench of Davis County’s most populous city sits Layton City Fire Station No. 54. The $4.15 million, 10,034-SF building is a picture-perfect firehouse. With some December snow nestled on the rooftop, it looks like Claude Monet painted it there. 

“It blends into the area perfectly,” said Travis Barnes, Superintendent for Centerville-based Hogan & Associates Construction. “The style of that building belongs there.”

Layton City relied on a well-coordinated design and construction team to create a station that would fit the area’s goals.

Starting Grade
The City and UDOT, during construction of the nearby US-89 reconstruction, readied the site for the eventual station that would allow fire trucks and ambulances to perform their lifesaving work. 

Building grades were different than anticipated and necessitated a change, according to Eddy Hogan, Project Manager, who worked with Jim Poloncic of Murray-based Think Architecture, to place the firehouse lower than originally designed. Doing so would ultimately save the city money on site work.

Siting the building correctly was imperative, as it would allow a complete 360-degree passage of fire trucks around the building. The site accommodates various emergency vehicles, with this “drive-thru” concept, positioning the building so that drivers can have clear views down the adjacent roadway in both directions when exiting the facility. 

Brad Wilkes, Fire Battalion Chief for Layton City, said a close working relationship helped create trust among the entire project team and instill confidence they were building a station fit for the growing city’s needs. 

“Working closely with Brad was interesting in understanding the fireman’s perspective and learning what was important to what we were building,” said Hogan.

Layton’s four stations receive 8,000 calls yearly including medical emergency, house fire, brush fires, and other critical services. 

To respond to those expanding needs, Poloncic designed a 10-ft longer bay to better accommodate seven vehicles including a ladder truck, brush truck, heavy rescue truck and ambulance. 

No Time to Waste 
According to Hogan, stick framing the building proved challenging with supply chain issues, with a shift in procurement practices aiding the process. Getting trusses to the job site during a volatile period of lumber availability and pricing required quick responses from owners to ensure purchased materials would match both the vision and budget.

It helped not just the pivot to new materials but guaranteed certain elements stayed true to the original design. Diesel scrubbers on the bay ceiling were a prime example, with Wilkes communicating that the AirHAWK brand was more important than getting a different brand of diesel scrubber. 

Other decisions shifted away from the original design. The project team decided on a more resilient and cost-efficient epoxy floor than the more aesthetic one, which would not deal as competently with the wear and tear of dozens of firefighters utilizing the building. Forgoing fancy finishes helped to speed the project along, but more importantly, helped Layton City honor its commitments to residents.

  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

Layton City Station 54 overlooks the city from the east bench. The meeting room and gear storage and cleaning room were designed to prioritize utility and safety for the firefighters. (Layton City Station 54 photos by Endeavour Architectural Photography

Functional Amenities for Functional Space

Even as the owner prioritized value over vanity, there is plenty of beauty to this building as it looks down from its hillside perch onto US-89. Masonry products make up 85% of exterior wall finishes, with darker beige and charcoal coloring of the four-inch honed block offering a nod to the nearby mountains the history of fire station design. 


Long roof overhangs give the building a sense of depth and grandeur on approach. Visible timber at the main entry and rear patio combine structural needs with a lovely visual approach. Firefighters can look out from the fire station’s west-facing patio into the valley and feel the pride in their public safety role.


Seven bedrooms occupy the residential side of the firehouse, with spacious, single-elevation shower bathrooms providing a charming aesthetic for their multifaceted purpose of keeping the firefighters clean.


New UFA Stations Focus on Occupant Health, Safety

Utah’s largest fire agency—Unified Fire Authority—is in the midst of a bonded $36.5 million, four-station building program that includes the recently completed $6.9 million, 16,635-SF Midvale No. 125 (December 2022) and three stations that will wrap up this year (Magna No. 102 and two stations in Eagle Mountain, Nos. 251 and 253). 


According to Zach Robinson, UFA Assistant Chief and a 25-year veteran of the department, new stations are designed with a focus on overall firefighter wellness, along with maximizing internal space of each facility.


“Firefighter health and safety is rising to the top of priority lists—it’s a national trend—and we wanted to be on the front edge of that,” said Robinson. “It was a huge approach for us on this construction phase,” with stations designed around a hot, warm, and cold zone concept that aims to eliminate outside contaminants from entering work and living quarters by confining them to decontamination corridors adjacent to apparatus bays. 


“The ideal situation is to get [firefighters] a shower within an hour,” he added. Air filtration systems and large ceiling fans also help process particulates in the air, and crew living quarters are pressurized so air flows out of the space. Hand and boot wash areas are also inside apparatus bays and gear is stored on rooms off the bay to further mitigate outside contaminates. 


Station durability and space optimization/flexibility were also key design elements, with a goal of “no wasted space,” said Robinson. “All areas serve a purpose. We utilized durable materials, like polished concrete floors, to reduce maintenance costs. We have thoughtful designs by our architects which allowed us to shrink the footprint of the stations.”


Another important feature is highly durable training rooms—Robinson called them “hardened training spaces”—designed with concrete blocks that allow for real-life training situations without damaging the building.


UFA has nearly 700 employees that serve approximately 450,000 people in 15 municipalities, plus unincorporated Salt Lake County. In addition to fire suppression and rescue services, UFA provides advanced life support, first response and ambulance services, hazardous material response, bomb response, code enforcement, and emergency management for all of Salt Lake County. 


Midvale No. 125 was the latest project for Salt Lake-based Paulsen Construction and proved arduous on the procurement side of the project.


“The biggest challenge we faced—which a lot of contractors are still facing—was the lead times for certain materials,” said Harold Saunders, Director of Business Development at Paulsen. “Electrical gear and lighting, along with glass, were a few of the items delivered to the project near the end. If you throw in weather delays, it can all wreak havoc on a project schedule.”

Strenuous, but satisfying for a firm that has built several fire stations in recent years and takes great pride in the importance of these facilities. 


Saunders said, “When you look at how many stations we have built in the last six years, it has been very rewarding to be involved in these key projects.”


Stoker Reflects on Father’s Architectural Legacy

Robert Stoker, Fire Chief of St. George City since 1998 and a veteran of 30+ years experience, oversees a department that has grown significantly during his career. What once relied almost exclusively on volunteer help from the community is now a department of eight stations with full-time crews and several more in the works.


“It’s amazing the growth and service demand that’s developed the past 15-20 years,” said Stoker. “We’re still a combo department with full-time, part-time, and reserve firefighters,” adding that he was the first full-time firefighter hired by St. George City in 1992 (he had been a volunteer since the mid-80s). 


Stoker also takes pride in the fact that his father, Leslie Stoker (who passed away May 2019 at the age of 79), designed several St. George fire stations, along with other key public buildings and the Tuacahn Amphitheater and Arts Center, over a notable 52-year career as an architect. 


Leslie’s last fire station project was No. 9 in the city’s Little Valley area, a building that finished design in 2019. After being on hold for a couple of years, St. George-based Watts Construction completed the build in May 2022. 


Stoker also said his father designed St. George No. 3 in Bloomington Hills, No. 4 in Bloomington, No. 5 in Green Valley, No. 7 at Dixie Downs, and No. 8 at Sun River. 


“It’s pretty neat to have that tie with him,” said Stoker. “He (designed) a lot of stations throughout Nevada and Utah, along with government buildings and schools. It’s neat to drive around these different cities and see his work.”


Two new stations are currently in the design phase, including No. 10 near the Desert Canyons development off Southern Parkway near the airport and a replacement for No. 1 at the corner of 400 East 100 South in the heart of the city. Over the coming years, Stoker said another three stations will likely be needed to service the Tonaquint area, the Ledges off Hwy 18, and the Desert Color development. 

  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

  • Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

St. George Fire Station No. 9 was the last of several stations designed by Leslie Stoker (pictured) in the region before he passed away in 2019. His son, Robert, has been Fire Chief of St. George since 1998. (courtesy Robert Stoker; project photo courtesy Watts Construction)

Layton Fire Station 54

Owner: Layton City

Architect: Think Architecture

Civil: Excel Engineering

Electrical: Spectrum Engineers

Mechanical: Spectrum Engineers

Structural: Calder Richards Structural Consulting Engineers

Geotech: CMT Engineering

Landscape: Think Architecture

General Contractor: Hogan & Associates Construction

Concrete: Hogan & Associates Construction

Plumbing: Norm’s Plumbing

HVAC: United Team Mechanical

Electrical: JP Electric

Masonry: Rocky Mountain Masonry

Drywall/Acoustics: MG Drywall / Golder Acoustics

Painting: Hegemann Paint Co.

Tile/Stone: Westech Tile

Carpentry: Trim Art

Flooring: Diversified Flooring, Inc. 

Roofing: Rodac

Glass/Curtain Wall: Bountiful Glass

Waterproofing: Western States Waterproofing

Excavation: Hogan & Associates Construction

Landscaping: Lawson Landscaping




Midvale Fire Station No. 125 

Owner: Unified Fire Authority

Owners Rep: Construction Control

Architect: ajc architects

Civil Engineer: Talisman Civil Consultants

Electrical: BNA Consulting

Mechanical: WHW Engineering

Structural: KPFF

Geotech: GSH Geotechnical

Landscape: ArcSitio Design

General Contractor: Paulsen Construction

Concrete: A-Core Concrete/Milestone Concrete

Plumbing: Robert W. Speirs Plumbing

HVAC: Stellar Mechanical

Electrical: Boshard Electric

Masonry: JH Masonry

Drywall: Mt. Olympus Construction

Painting: Allied Painting

Tile: John Caffall Tile 

Millwork: MC Mill & Design

Flooring: Flooring Services

Roofing: Heritage Roofing

Glass: Mountain Valley Glass

Steel Fabrication: Dixie Fabrication

Steel Erection: Crockett Construction

Precast: Mesa Precast




St. George Fire Station No. 9 

Owner: St. George City

Architect: Mesa Consulting Group & Desert Edge Architecture 

Civil: Bowen Collins & Associates

Electrical: BNA Electrical Engineering

Mechanical: WHW Engineering

Structural: Provalue Engineering

General Contractor: Watts Construction

Concrete: Mountain States Contractors

Plumbing: Tom’s Mechanical

HVAC: Air Doctor Solutions

Electrical: HedgeHog Electric

Masonry: BA Robinson Construction

Drywall/Acoustics: B&S Drywall

Painting: Pacific Painting & Wallcovering

Tile/Stone: HB Flooring Solutions

Carpentry: Excel One Construction

Flooring: HB Flooring Solutions

Roofing: Flynn BEC LP

Glass/Curtain Wall: Faus Glass

Waterproofing: N/A

Steel Fabrication & Erection: Fab-Tec

Southern Utah Special

By Bradley Fullmer • April 30, 2026
The new St. George City Hall is a shining example of a collaborative process between owner, architect, and general contractor, producing a world-class facility that will serve the community for the next 40-plus years.  By Bradley Fullmer

One of a Kind

By Bradley Fullmer • April 30, 2026
After more than a half century designing buildings, 73-year-old Jim Child remains a fixture in Utah’s architectural community, with a genuine passion for his craft that inspires those around him.  By Bradley Fullmer

Sustainability Gold

By Taylor Larsen • April 30, 2026
Three Salt Lake City projects showcase the immense talent of the local A/E/C industry to achieve supreme levels of sustainability through adaptive reuse, turning drab offices into vibrant housing. By Taylor Larsen

A Mammoth Undertaking to Build on Utah's Hockey Culture

By Taylor Larsen • April 30, 2026
Design and construction teams working at “ludicrous” speeds delivered more than the Utah Mammoth’s new practice facilities, but also a fitting tribute to Utah’s strong hockey culture.

Rock Solid Industry

By Bradley Fullmer • April 30, 2026
The passage of HB 355 in 2025 provided stability for Utah's construction aggregate producers. The question moving forward is: How long will the finite supply of materials last at existing operations along the Wasatch Front?

Soaring High in Tooele

By B. Garn • April 30, 2026
The new Deseret Peak High School delivers out-of-this-world design for a welcome addition to the growing Tooele Valley. 

Ahoy!

By Taylor Larsen • April 30, 2026
The eight-year odyssey to deliver Cyprus High was worth the voyage, as designers and builders created a stellar learning environment for Magna’s growing community.

Trending on Trail, Rail, Highway, and… Skyway?

By Taylor Larsen • April 30, 2026
Engineers note the emerging trends among Utah’s different transit modes and how evolving technology and partnerships set the state up for success.  By Taylor Larsen

Making Hay Under a Shining Sun

By Bradley Fullmer • April 30, 2026
UC+D profiles four new firms who aim to make a name for themselves in an A/E/C market that refuses to slow down. By Bradley Fullmer

Dixie Rising

By Bradley Fullmer • April 30, 2026
Led by the City of St. George, Washington County has experienced explosive growth of more than 50% over the past 15 years, ranking in the top 5% of all U.S. counties and fueling strong demand for commercial construction projects.  By Bradley Fullmer