La Crosse Fire Station No. 2

Designed as a replacement facility for their existing Station 2, the new La Crosse Station 2 will serve the city’s west side, housing a two-engine company and the department’s administrative team. This 20,000 SF facility will be located on a one-acre site alongside the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

With the heavily trafficked La Crosse Street to the north, Oakland Street to the west, and UW-L to the east and south, the overall site design and layout of the facility focused on: maintaining safety for all users, the need for a highly functional and response driven station; and a “no back-side” aesthetic for the station.

To achieve these goals, the site was divided up with a response on the facility’s north side (facing La Crosse Street), apparatus return and shift-working parking on the southeast side, and administration and visitor entry and parking on the southwest portion of the property. The facility was shifted as far west on the site as possible to maintain grass and separation between the Station and UW-L. Additionally, all four sides of the facility were considered to be appealing.

Inside the facility, the overall layout focuses on safety for the responders and creates a division between these three user groups. To do so, the station’s first floor is for responder use only. It houses the watch/command office, dorms, personal decontamination spaces, apparatus support spaces, and the exercise room, which opens to the apparatus floor for additional room. The station’s small lobby directs visitors to the second-level administration areas through an elevator and set of stairs.

Once on the second level, visitors are greeted in a small reception space with an adjoining conference room. Directly off reception, is the department’s administration, including private offices for the Fire Chief, Assistant Chiefs, Division Chief, Fire Investigators offices, an open office, the Battalion Chiefs office, and a shared shift officers office. In addition to administration, the facility’s second level houses the remaining living spaces, including the kitchen and dining space, a rooftop patio, and the day room. Maintaining the focus on quick response times, two fire poles are located in these living spaces to allow responders to move to the apparatus bay from the second level quickly.