by Kwame Smith AIA
— Kwame Smith AIA | PrincipalReflecting on my own health journey, I began to see parallels with the physical and mental health demands placed on first responders… When I became a principal in 2018, I set a clear goal: re-establish SFS as a leader in public safety design.
I began my journey with SFS over 21 years ago as a young professional eager to contribute to meaningful projects. Like many starting out I worked on a variety of project types, but it was the fire station work that truly captured my interest. My early experiences sparked a realization: design has the power to positively impact communities and the lives of first responders. That inspiration was reinforced by the award-winning Lenexa Station 3 and the Lawrence Fire Stations, which showcased SFS’s expertise in public safety design.
For several years I had the privilege of working under mentors Mike Fickel and Mike Christianer on numerous public safety projects that included fire stations for Kansas City, Missouri and Belton, Missouri. During this period, I faced a major health challenge that kept me away from the Belton project for an extended time. That experience profoundly shaped my perspective on health and wellness and would later influence my philosophy for how we design for our first responders.
We had the opportunity of working on the Westerman Fire & EMS Education Center for the Central Jackson County (Missouri) Fire Protection District. Reflecting on my own health journey, I began to see parallels with the physical and mental demands placed on first responders. Fire station design had traditionally focused heavily on operational efficiency, moving people and equipment quickly into action and back, but I envisioned a more holistic approach. The CJC project marked the beginning of a shift in my thinking, even if its full impact wouldn’t be realized for some time.
The pace and volume of our public safety work had slowed and in 2017 my mentor Mike Christianer retired. When I became a principal in 2018, I set a clear goal: re-establish SFS as a leader in public safety design. In 2019 we were awarded the commission to design the Overland Park Fire Department Station No. 48 which was our first opportunity to truly explore a more holistic approach to station design. This project allowed me to apply lessons learned from both personal and professional experiences, introducing a design methodology that prioritized health and wellness alongside operational efficiency.
Station 48 represented a paradigm shift. We focused on sustainable strategies that improved firefighter well-being without adding unnecessary complexity or cost. We enhanced acoustic and visual separation in bunk spaces, streamlined decontamination processes, and created spaces for mental decompression. The impact extended beyond the station walls by improving firefighters’ family health and wellness, recruitment, and retention. This project represented validation and became the catalyst for a new era in our fire station design approach.
Since then, we’ve applied these principles to projects like CJCFPD Station 6, OPFD Station 41, and the Sunflower Fire Station No. 13 in De Soto, KS for the Northwest Johnson County Fire Protection District. These stations integrate strategies to reduce carcinogen exposure, support education and camaraderie, and create environments that promote healthy minds and bodies. Sustainability remains central as OPFD Station No. 41 was designed to achieve LEED Silver certification and was the first station to incorporate solar renewable energy on site.
I’m excited about the future of public safety design. We’ve built a dedicated team committed to designing stations that meet the evolving needs of today’s professionals. One of the most exciting projects on the boards today is the new Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical Station, which is targeting LEED Gold certification. The LDCFM project embodies our commitment to progressive, sustainable design by supporting the environment and the human body as interconnected elements of health and wellness for the planet, the community, and first responders.
“The LDCFM project embodies our commitment to progressive, sustainable design by supporting the environment and the human body as interconnected elements of health and wellness for the planet, the community, and first responders.”