The 2025 Firehouse Station Design Awards will recognize exceptional achievements in fire station design and construction, celebrating the innovative work of architects and fire departments. Celebrate excellence, sustainability, and functionality in fire station design as we showcase the best in the field.

Your station design entry will appear in our November issue and be seen by industry-leading chiefs, officers, manufacturers, and fire service personnel. The annual Station Design Awards issue is a valuable source of ideas and innovations for the fire service’s primary influencers and governing bodies.

Don’t miss this opportunity to be acknowledged as a leader in fire station design and receive national recognition for your firm and your client.

Projects must have been completed since Jan. 1, 2021. Judges have requested only completed projects be submitted, as renderings are subject to change during approvals, budget adjustments, and final construction.

The awards will recognize superlative work in seven categories:

Career Stations 1 – Over 15,000-sq.-ft., for full-time firefighters

Career Stations 2 – 15,000-sq.-ft. or smaller, for full-time firefighters

Co-Located – A single building that houses fire, emergency response and other public safety operations, such as law enforcement, but shares amenities, including, but not limited to, a community room, a training room, reception, public toilets and decontamination. The smallest of the operations occupies at least 25 percent of the floor area. (Not a municipal complex that includes separate buildings for various organizations/operations.)

Combination Stations – A facility that houses a department that includes paid members and volunteers and/or members who are paid a stipend on a per-event basis or who are paid-on-call.

Renovation – A facility that was redesigned, repurposed or upgraded in a way that at least 50 percent of the existing building area was affected by the project, although this doesn’t preclude the addition of new building area.

Satellite  – Conceived and built to address the required response times for the jurisdiction. The facility doesn’t include/serve as administration/headquarters, although it can include an office for officers who are assigned to the apparatus that operate out of the facility. It includes a training area. No more than three apparatus bays are on site. No more than one pumper, one truck, one medic unit and/or one special operations rig operate out of the facility. The number of personnel who operate out of the facility doesn’t exceed eight. A satellite station in a volunteer department isn’t staffed.

Training Facilities  – Facilities that are specific to training.

Volunteer Stations  – Facility that serves volunteer-only fire and emergency response (i.e., a majority of personnel respond from home/aren’t on duty at the station 24/7). The facility includes the basic core elements of a career station (e.g., decontamination, gear storage, safety zones, security and training) and addresses modern-day NFPA and OSHA mandates.

Sure it is an investment of time and effort to enter your design and construction in the 2025 Firehouse Station Design Awards program, but it is time well spent. Below are just a few of the many benefits associated with entering this year’s reviews program.

BENEFIT 1: BE RECOGNIZED
Honorees have made a groundbreaking contribution to the fire service community. They are recognized as leaders and innovators to the largest collection of fire service professionals, with coverage in Firehouse Magazine as well as on firehouse.com.

BENEFIT 2: INCREASE CREDIBILITY
Being an honoree is validation of your design and construction from a credible third party to the fire service community. It’s a great way to reinforce the quality of your design and construction to existing customers as well as potential customers.

BENEFIT 3: GAIN A SALES ADVANTAGE
Being recognized with a 2025 Firehouse Station Design Award is an additional tool for your sales team to use as part of their sales pitch. Companies recognized with this prestigious distinction can better compete for business, because recognized honorees are less risky for potential customers.

BENEFIT 4: SET YOURSELF APART
Honorees rise above the competition and instantly tell the fire service community their design and construction has something unique and worthy of review.

BENEFIT 5: IT’S GREAT PR
Fully capitalize on your successful entry with announcements that grow your visibility in the industry. We even provide a press release template to use to promote your honoree status.

BENEFIT 6: STOCK YOUR TROPHY CABINET
Top honorees are the proud recipients of a coveted 2025 Firehouse Station Design Award to be highlighted at your booth during industry shows and then showcased in your company lobby. You’ll also be able to use the 2025 Firehouse Station Design Award logo on your website and marketing literature to reinforce your success.

How to Submit

Creating an Account

• Login or create your account here.
• After you have created your account, you’ll be prompted to submit your entry.
• If you are interrupted and don’t have time to complete your entry, it will be saved as IN PROGRESS until you have time to complete it. If you forgot your password, click “lost password.” Any required fields that are not filled in will be highlighted in red when you hit SAVE.
• When your entry is complete, click ADD TO CART.
• At this point, you can either ENTER ANOTHER SUBMISSION or CHECKOUT.
• At CHECKOUT, submit your credit card details and click PROCESS (Only click PROCESS one time!).

Troubleshooting Your Electronic Entry

PROBLEM: I keep hitting SAVE but my entry is not saving.
Try This: Review your entry and confirm any required field is filled in or checked.

PROBLEM: I did NOT receive a confirmation email after submitting my entry.
Confirm you entered an accurate email address.
Confirmation emails are sent once payment is submitted.

Selection Process
Each Firehouse Station Design Awards Entry Should Address the Following:

• How your design and construction help customers meet their objectives
• The unique features of this design and construction

Judges Will Review Your Entry Based on the Following Criteria:

• Operational Efficiency & Functionality
• Health & Wellness Design
• Safety & Decontamination Features
• Sustainability & Energy Efficiency
• Overall Architectural Design
• Innovation in Design & Technology Integration
• Adaptability & Future-Proofing
• Community Integration & Public Access
• Training & Specialized Regional Features
• Site Design, Vehicular Logistics & Urban Design

Optional Items to Consider:

• Testimonials by users.
• Simple brief that summarizes the ability of this design, and how it differentiates itself from the competition.
• Photos and diagrams, particularly block diagrams or flow charts that help describe how the design of the facility meets customer needs.

We want your entry to be as powerful and impressive as possible. Here are a few tips that will let the judges see your entry in the most favorable light.

• Block time out on your calendar. Map out some time on your schedule so you can focus on your entry.
• Use specific, quantitative, and instantly credible language. Avoid the urge to just copy and paste the text from your marketing collateral or website.
• Be sure to answer the following questions about the facility’s design and construction. How does your expertise/experience help customers meet their objectives? How does it reduce operational expenses. What are the unique features of the facility as it compares to competing solutions? What makes it innovative?
• Get input from the design and construction team. Coworkers at your company can help provide specific examples of how the development impacts the fire service community.
• Download a preview of the entry form and compile your answers before completing the online entry. Once you’ve compiled your answers, review your draft and confirm it demonstrates the criteria mentioned in the Submission Guidelines tab.
• Back up your claims with supporting evidence, such as charts, tables, or testimonials. Make it as easy as possible for the judges to look at your entry in the most favorable light.
• Call or email if we can help!

Submission Rates

When do I need to submit my entry?
Final entries are due July 11, 2025, before 11:59 PM EST.

What if my design won’t be announced before the deadline?
As long as it will be introduced by the beginning of November 2025, it still qualifies. (subject to change based on program year)

My design won’t be announced until after the July entry deadline. How do you ensure confidentiality?
Our judges, program director, and staff are under strict instructions not to share the details of unannounced facilities with their coworkers or anyone else. Additionally, we take pains to ensure in all cases that entries are not judged by employees of competitive companies.

Worried about non-disclosure agreements?
If you have an application that you would like to submit, but are worried that a non-disclosure agreement will prevent you from doing so, feel free to refer to the parties involved in general terms.

When will we find out if we are a finalist?
Honorees for the program will be notified in the fourth quarter of 2025

Do you have a question about whether your project or application would be a worthy entrant?
Reach out on questions like these and any others by contacting us.