St. Charles MO Fire & Rescue No. 4

This project grew out of the St. Charles Fire Department’s need for an additional fire and rescue facility that would allow more rapid response times to expanding coverage areas around the city.  Similarly, the city’s Police Department was in need of an additional facility presence in order to better serve the community.  Further, the city’s existing Emergency Operations Center (EOC) was outdated and needed to be replaced.

This new facility addresses the needs of all three Public Safety Departments. By combining the departments into a single facility, they conserve square footage and budget. While the Fire and Police portions of the facility function as new, additional substations, the EOC portion completely replaced the city’s old EOC headquarters.

Stewart-Cooper-Newell Architects partnered with LePique & Orne Architects, Inc., a local design firm, to assist the city with this project.  One specific challenge rectified by the design team was planning the facility in a way that allowed for ease of access to various parts of the building, while also creating separation between the three departments.