Like a team of dedicated firefighters, the City of Oxnard and our design team had an important mission: to create an affordable fire station that was not only state-of-the-art, but also improved emergency response time. The design was a community effort in its truest sense, with close collaboration between the city and local developers, builders, and architects. After coordinating a private-public partnership (P3) delivery method, we were able to design and deliver a fully outfitted fire station, complete with fire engines, minus the large capital expenditure. With a brand new, fully operational station at their fingertips, the City of Oxnard is now “leasing-to-own” the property over the course of 20 years.

The new Fire Station No. 8 is a sleek, mid-century modern building that combines the built-to-last essence of a traditional station with smart design elements that speed up response time. The distinctly modern forms of the structure are contrasted by a familiar brick exterior, evocative of a vintage fire station. This classic characteristic combines with large format metal signage to offer a visual gateway into the station’s vast drive-thru bays that house the big red fire trucks. Instead of a conventional overhead sectional door, we chose a four-fold bay door that opens much faster. The naturally-lit interiors are designed for seamless, quick movement between the apparatus bays, private quarters, and daily-use facilities, which include administration offices, fitness rooms, and a welcoming public lobby. The deliberate and well thought out design is a result of careful listening sessions and considerable research that honors the reality that, “every second counts.” And with the First-In fire station alert system, fire crews at Fire Station No. 8 can respond the moment they’re called to duty.