Description

Brookline had been maintaining its fleet of fire trucks in the open weather for decades. This allowed inclement weather to limit the frequency of maintenance, which slowed the Fire Department’s overall response time. To meet this critical public safety need, we were commissioned to design a new vehicle maintenance garage based on our work with fire stations and Harvard University’s Campus Service Center.

Brookline’s vehicle repair shop and training facility includes a structural slab on grade with enough support to hold truck-lifts for raising vehicles to work height. The height of the building was determined by the angle of a lifted cab for access to the engine; the length was determined by the Fire Department’s longest vehicle of 60 feet. Heating and ventilation were coordinated with lighting and fire protection to ensure proper vehicle access height. This area, combined with tool equipment, automated tire racks, work benches, careful storage, offices for the foremen, and access to adjacent kitchen and showers takes repair mechanics out of the weather and into a well designed and constructed new facility.

​The adjacent building is a 40-person training center with AV equipment, storage, offices, fully accessible showers, and kitchen facilities. The town will use this area for varied training classes. It is on town-owned property that abuts a golf course and overlooks the Fire Department’s training yard. For the yard we took down an outdated masonry structure and designed a new fire simulator building. Working in tandem with the training room, this new facility brings a holistic approach to the town’s public safety elements.