The Center for Public Safety, Inc.

Too many decisions about addressing critical facility needs for public safety departments and agencies are driven and made by elected officials and staff that have never worked in or understand the needs of public safety entities. 

One glaring example is the current economic situation. Times are difficult for many communities across the nation and too often some elected officials believe that their city, town, county or parish can buy an old school, shopping center, abandoned department store or store front and convert it into a police or fire station or emergency operations center. 

They see it as a cheap and easy option but there is one prominent problem. Taking this route is rarely, if ever, cheap or easy. 

Shopping centers, grocery and big box stores are built by developers looking to construct something with an expected life-span of 18-20 years. That means that the roof, HVAC, electrical, sewer and plumbing systems are not expected to last longer than the building’s effective life-span or that same 18-20 years. 

So when the tenant moves out, there is a large empty building occupying a space that leaves a hole in the commercial area of a community. A mayor, commissioner or selectman may see that structure as an opportunity to revitalize an area while at the same time, providing space for a public safety agency that has been operating in cramped conditions for years. 

A cheap and easy solution right? 

Wrong. 

In addition to the roof and the building’s systems, there are code requirements, life-cycle needs and security concerns for any public safety facility which were never taken into consideration when the structure was first built. 

Law enforcement needs a sallyport, holding cells, evidence processing and storage, a weapons armory, weapon repair and space to hold records mandated by law. The walls and roofing system need to be strong enough to keep people out and provide operational sustainability in case of disaster. 

A fire station needs a high ceilinged bay with vehicle exhaust containment systems, a commercial grade kitchen and living space. 

An emergency operations or dispatch center has heavy HVAC needs because of the amount of heat producing equipment which must be maintained at constant temperatures for maximum operating efficiency. This facility too needs to be hardened to withstand a man-made or natural catastrophe because this is the critical structure from which all life saving activities will be directed. 

The Center for Public Safety, Inc. has conducted feasibility and space needs studies for clients across the nation looking at new sites and existing buildings. 

In documenting what it would take to bring an existing structure not only up to current code but to adapt to meet the needs of a modern public safety facility often, if not always mean that it will cost more than a new building. 

That one statement should deter any budget conscious official from considering a big box, department store, shopping center or empty storefront from serious evaluation. 

Unfortunately it does not. 

So how does a police or fire chief or EOC director protect themselves? 

They will need an objective, experienced third-party professional with the knowledge of their organizational mission to examine the potential building, document its deficiencies and make cost projections for the retrofit. 

Only then can a public safety agency present its elected officials or government staff with the reasons why that would not be in their community’s best interests. 

Space needs or feasibility studies cost a fraction of any project cost but the information contained within that report could save a city, town, county or parish millions of dollars. 

Certainly something to consider in a time where every tax dollar counts and when every taxpayer expects, and rightfully so, that their money will be spent in the most economical manner possible.