Northwest Fire District Fire Station #337

Located in Marana, AZ

To better serve the area, Station 337, a replacement station for the Northwest Fire District, was relocated into the center of this Tortilla Mountain Resort Community northwest of Tucson.

The site slopes 17’ from East to West, in a sensitive environmental area with limited space for a new fire station, on one of the few commercial lots in the largely residential area. Addressing the site slope was a challenge resolved by the station’s placement, balancing the grade differential by cutting into the hillside to maintain a low profile, minimizing its impact on neighbors’ views across lush desert landscape.

Constructed of steel and masonry, the ~9,000 square foot station houses three apparatus bays, living quarters for seven crew members, including a fitness center with access to an exterior elevated patio featuring panoramic views. Across the bay from the living quarters is the turnout gear, laundry, and decontamination area. Dayroom, Dining room and open kitchen all have visual access to the apparatus bay and to outdoor spaces.

A primary focus of the project was the crews’ health and wellness. The design provides separation of ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ zones through space planning and environmental systems for healthy working and living environments. Important to the crews’ mental health are restful, regenerative spaces between calls, such as the exterior patio with southwest views of the mountains.

Education was also a key focus. The dayroom acts as remote training area utilizing technology for interactive training. Call response technology is used throughout the station from smart alert systems in the dorm rooms to tracking of response times out to the call.

The station is designed to fit into the context of its neighboring community, featuring building forms and materials that blend into the landscape. Station 337 is also a model for the use of response technology in modern fire station design.

Station 337 received a Notable award in the Firehouse Magazine, Station Design Awards competition for stations under 15,000 square feet staffing full-time fire and emergency personnel.