According to Firehouse.com, a tornado that hit Dallas Sunday destroyed a fire station, ripping off the roof and damaging other parts of the structure. No firefighters were injured, but the building was left unusable.
To prevent incidents like this, more fire departments are selecting a steel-reinforced concrete dome for their station, based on its ability to protect personnel and equipment.
“Typically in a wind event or a seismic event, the roof falls in. The worst part is the roof comes down on the apparatus, and you’ve got millions and millions of dollars of equipment that can’t be used in your own town where it’s needed the most,” said Dome Technology project manager Daren Wheeler. “It’s difficult to build a truck bay that is ICC-500 compatible because of the overhead doors, but what we can guarantee structurally is the roof will not collapse on apparatus in a high-wind event,” and the living quarters where firefighters and EMS would be during a natural disaster can, in fact, be built to be ICC-500 and FEMA compliant.
To read the full Firehouse article about the Dallas tornado, click here. For more information on Dome Technology fire-station models, click here.
Photo source: Firehouse.com, provided by Dallas Fire Rescue