Brimfield Public Safety & Highway Buildings

HEA designed the M/E/P systems associated with an extensive renovation/expansion of the Town of Brimfield’s existing public safety and highway department buildings. The public safety building (which includes fire department operations) was renovated and expanded to 10,800-sf; the highway building was renovated and expanded to 8,700-sf. The public safety building includes four fire apparatus bays as well as ambulance bays, rooms for fire equipment storage and decontamination, training, living, police operations, booking/interview processes, radio/dispatch operations, lockers and showers, etc.

A variable air volume (VAV) HVAC system serves the building’s offices, operations and living spaces. Local vehicle exhaust capture systems with air filtration and automated control capabilities were included for the fire truck and ambulance bays. Dedicated exhaust systems were also included for equipment rooms, a kitchen hood, shower and toilet rooms, laundry facilities, etc. Care was taken to keep rooms containing SCBA filling equipment, breathing air modules and used turnout gear at negative pressures relative to other building areas.

The building’s electrical design included a re-sized electric service, underground utilities, normal and stand-by power, lighting, fire alarm, telecom/data and security systems. The building’s electrical service entrance equipment was located outside to create more usable interior space. The existing generator was demolished and replaced with a new 200-kW diesel stand-by generator with a weather-proof sound attenuated enclosure. 

Plumbing design included a high-efficiency LP-fired water heater with associated recirculation pumps, thermostatic mixing valves, etc. as well as a compressed air piping system, LP gas distribution piping, emergency plumbing fixtures, trench drain systems for the apparatus bays, drainage for the decontamination room, etc.

Construction was completed in early Spring 2020. Construction cost was $3.58M.