Two Years Taken To Build Headquarters

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29909, 24 August 1962, Page 7

Two Years Taken To Build Headquarters

The new headquarters station of the Christchurch Fire Board consists of three two-storeyed buildings—administrative block and single men’s quarters, block of twobedroom flats and another block of flats with three bedrooms.

The station has been designed to facilitate the quick turn-out to fires made possible by the use of modern electronic equipment and gives the brigade modern and spacious working quarters.

The buildings were designed more than three years ago by J. G. Collins and Son, architects to the board, tenders were called early in 1960 and work began on the station by the contractor, Chas. S. Luney, Ltd., in May of that year. The administrative block, which faces on to Kilmore street, has as its centre the appliance room where the five fire-fighting appliances are housed behind quickopening doors operated by a compressed air system from the watchroom.

building there are the quarters of the Chief Fire Officer (Mr L. R. Osmond). His office is on the ground floor, next to his deputy’s office and an office for a typist. The general office, watchroom and room in which the squad officer sleeps at night are close to the room where accommodation is provided for the men of the duty squad. They have the locker bay and drying room handy to their quarters; and if they return from a dirty firefighting job they can have a shower, throw their dirty into a laundry and change into clean clothing in the locker room.

Behind the appliance room there is a covered wash room. To the left of the main

Also on the ground floor in the wing angled round to

Oxford terrace there are a quiet room, library, recreation room, which can also be used for lectures, kitchens and a dining room.

In the administrative block, there is a 74ft by 40ft social room above the appliance room.

The traditional fireman’s pole to get him from his quarters to his engine remains an important part of the design; and experienced officers still back themselves as being quicker down the pole than anyone can run down even one flight of stairs. To the rear of the mam building is the drill yard. Overlooking it are the married quarters with two bedrooms. The six flats in the

blocks are identical. Each has a living-dingroom, which can be separated by a curtain, and a kitchen on the ground floor, with the bedrooms, bathroom and toilet on the upper floor. There is a dual hot water system—electric and wetback. Each flat has its own fuel and bicycle shed. The third building, which

runs north and south and has an entrance from Chester street, is similar, but the six flats have three bedrooms. The administrative building has an area of about 12,000 square feet on the ground floor and 10,000 on the first floor, one Living block has an area of about 2600 square feet and the third is 4300 square feet.