New fire station in Ramsbeck: work on the shell has begun
Ramsbeck. The outlines of the two large doors on the future vehicle hall are already clearly visible - as are the changing rooms, recreation rooms and sanitary facilities for the active firefighters in the floor plan of the building: Construction of the new fire station has begun on Schulstraße in Ramsbeck. And the shell of the building already offers a glimpse into the future of the Ramsbeck fire brigade.
The geothermal probe is inconspicuous next to the building, but is of particular importance for the management of the future fire station: it has been drilled around 150 metres deep into the ground. The eight-degree water, explains Dipl.-Ing. Hubertus Kreis from the construction and environment department of the municipality of Bestwig, provides the "fuel" for the future brine-water heat pump. It will enable the fire station to be heated particularly economically: Hubertus Kreis expects one kilowatt hour of electricity to generate five kilowatt hours of heat energy. Underfloor heating ensures optimum heat distribution in the building.
The new building is also "warmly wrapped": The foundations are insulated; and the exterior façade, including the vehicle hall, will also be fitted with an external thermal insulation composite system. The windows will be fitted with triple glazing. According to Hubertus Kreis, the fire station will achieve a total heating load of 15 kilowatts in this way. By way of comparison, the expert estimates the heating load of fire stations in operation at around 80 kilowatts.
The building will also fulfil the current requirements for modern fire service work: The access routes for firefighters arriving at the scene are separated from the exit routes for vehicles; in addition to 18 car parking spaces, there will also be 6 for bicycles. A clear black and white separation is planned in the building itself: A demarcation between areas where emergency clothing contaminated with smoke gas - for example after firefighting operations - is stored and areas where clean and ready-to-use items are stored. The floor plan of the building is based on the functional processes of the volunteer fire brigade. Sanitary areas are separated for firefighters; there are also two large storage rooms and an area for the youth fire brigade. The doors of the vehicle hall are 4 metres wide and 4.5 metres high - sufficient dimensions even for future emergency vehicles.
The new fire station building was necessary because the ageing existing building does not meet the requirements for modern fire service work, neither structurally nor in terms of accident prevention regulations. The completion of the shell, carpentry and roofing work on the new building in Schulstrasse is planned for this year. Hubertus Kreis expects the building to be completed in 2026. The municipality of Bestwig expects the entire project to cost around 2.5 million euros.