Sep 27th 2024 | Posted in Mary Scott Nabers' Insights, Opportunities by Mary Scott Nabers

Cities and counties throughout the U.S. are expanding and modernizing public safety facilities. Many are long overdue for upgrades. The urgency to upgrade is because well-maintained and strategically placed facilities contribute to lower response times by police, fire and EMS services.

The U.S. has approximately 52,290 fire stations and 19,000 police stations, and their combined budgets exceed hundreds of billions annually. Those budgets, however, are dedicated to maintaining facilities, building stations and upgrading outdated buildings and equipment.

Funding is available now from the federal government as well as from local governments. More than $3 billion in public safety infrastructure projects were proposed in bond elections this year nationwide. The number of upcoming projects related to public safety over the next several years will be extremely large. Below are examples of just some of those projects.

The Wilmette Police Department in Illinois will soon launch a police station project to replace its outdated facility so public safety needs can be met. The current facility has significant limitations, including a small training room that cannot accommodate modern defensive tactics or firearms training, inadequate locker rooms, interview spaces and evidence-processing areas. The replacement effort carries a cost projection of between $20 million and $25 million. When completed, the project will deliver a building that incorporates modernized training facilities, secure evidence-handling rooms and enhanced wellness spaces.

Photo courtesy of Spaghettifier.

The new station will also have updated holding cells and a redesigned lobby that will accommodate security and public interactions. The exterior parking area will be revamped to prevent delays caused by extreme weather, and the more efficient workplace will have a welcoming environment for the community. Currently, officials are in the process of selecting a design firm and finalizing the station’s location. Construction will begin in 2025.

Officials in St. Johns County in Florida have finalized a comprehensive 5-Year Public Safety Plan that includes construction of four fire stations, a regional fire training facility and expanded facilities for the sheriff’s department and the medical examiner’s offices. A cost projection has been estimated to be between $44.1 million and $49.1 million.

The new fire stations will be strategically located across the county to improve fire response times and enhance public safety services for over 46,000 homes. Each new fire station will also house a sheriff’s office substation, integrating both fire and law enforcement services to ensure quicker and more coordinated emergency responses.

Fire Station 21 will begin construction in 2025 and is expected to be the first completed by the end of that year. Fire Station 22 will follow in 2026 and Fire Stations 23 and 24 will follow after that.
City leaders in Pullman, Washington, have announced plans for construction of a fire station as part of its capital improvement program. The construction project carries a projected cost of $10.2 million. It will be located near the university and will replace the aging and undersized fire stations currently serving that part of the community.

The new station will be designed for state-of-the-art utilities and equipment to improve emergency response capabilities. Its design will prioritize both functionality and long-term sustainability along with expansions to accommodate the growing demands of Pullman’s expanding population. The building will house additional equipment bays, living quarters for the fire crew and upgraded training facilities.

In Houston a $20.5 million replacement project for Fire Station 40 will be launched soon, and it will be designed as a new three-bay facility with expansions to better serve the growing population and escalating emergency call volume. The current facility, located on Houston’s southeast side, is one of the busiest stations as it serves the growing Lawndale community.

The new facility will relieve strain on current resources by enabling the addition of more personnel and equipment. It will have expanded living quarters and more equipment storage. Design work will begin in 2024, with construction efforts planned as soon as that is completed.

City leaders in Hialeah, Florida, have announced plans for a new $43.5 million Government Center. The proposed facility will house a police station, fire department, library and building department. All will be designed to improve service levels and boost productivity.

This project is in the early stages of development. A master plan for environmental remediation of the proposed site will be forthcoming in preparation of the new government complex, which will be completed in multiple phases. The first phase, focused on environmental remediation, is set to begin in 2025 at an estimated cost of $8 million. The design and planning phase will follow in 2026, with a projected cost of $3 million. Construction carries an estimated cost of $32.5 million.

Residents in the city of El Paso, Texas, will soon benefit from the development of a $19.9 million Police and Fire Training Academy. The new facility will address the significant growing need for advanced training infrastructure to support first-responders. The academy will include an indoor shooting range, a swift-water rescue pool, instructional areas, simulation rooms and an emergency vehicle training area. It will also house fire training props and a mock courtroom, enhancing the training capabilities for both police and fire departments.

The project’s timeline outlines design work in late 2024, with construction scheduled to start in 2025. Some preparation and foundational work will precede the major building phases, but the facility is projected to be fully operational, allowing first responders to begin training in the state-of-the-art environment by 2027.

Private sector contractors for this type of work are in high demand now, and the demand will expand even more in 2025.

As President and CEO of Strategic Partnerships, Inc., Mary Scott Nabers has decades of experience working in the public-private sector. A well-recognized expert in the P3 and government contracting fields, she is often asked to share her industry insights with top publications and through professional speaking engagements.