Nuevo Parque de Bomberas y Bomberos de Deusto en Bilbao

The Mayor of Bilbao, Juan Mari Aburto, accompanied by the Councilor for Security, Amaia Arregi, and the Councilor for Public Works and Services, Kepa Odriozola, have presented the execution project of the new Firefighters Park in Deusto. A project that will be approved by the Governing Board in the coming weeks and immediately after will be put out to tender, with the construction estimated to start at the end of this year.

The City Council has allocated a total budget of 13,528,004.50 euros (including VAT) for the construction of this new facility, with an expected implementation period of 28 months.

A modern, functional, and efficient building that will meet the service’s needs. It will be located in the neighborhood of Ibarrekolanda, on part of the plot defined as EQ-12 according to the Zorrotzaurre Special Plan. In total, the new park will occupy an area of 1,930 square meters on that plot, leaving 1,290 square meters free for the possible construction of another new building in the future.

It is an elongated and sharp plot, parallel to the river, with a level difference between Morgan Street – where the main entrance of the building will be located to the northeast – and the Canal Promenade. A privileged location that will facilitate rescue and salvage operations.

The new Deusto firefighters’ park will have a total built area of 3,760.88 square meters, spread over a basement floor (at Canal Promenade level), a ground floor, and first floor in the building, in addition to the space reserved for the training tower, which will reach up to the fourth floor. Both volumes will be separated by the hangar and maneuvering area.

Juan Mari Aburto has expressed his satisfaction with an important and forward-looking project; “a commitment identified as a priority – he said – in the 2023-2027 Mandate Plan”. “From a privileged location, it will allow us to offer quick and efficient coverage throughout the area, also considering the short and medium-term needs of a neighborhood like Zorrotzaurre that is in full development”.

Councilor Amaia Arregi has also emphasized its importance and significance. And, above all, she wanted to highlight the collaboration between the technicians of the Public Works Area and the firefighters of Bilbao in order “to define a project that meets all the requirements and needs of our professionals”.

BUILDING

The basement floor will be below ground level according to the situation of Morgan Street, but at the river level, that is, at the Canal Promenade.

The layout of this floor – with 1,562.53 square meters of usable space – has been designed to meet the operational functionality of the building, with three main areas distinguished, each designed to meet different needs of the firefighters’ service.

• Locker rooms and warehouses area. This space will house facilities for storing tools, equipment, and other essential items for the work of these professionals; as well as locker rooms, where they can change clothes before and after their shifts and interventions. They will be equipped with showers, lockers, sinks…
• Rooms, gym, and training room area. Since the firefighters’ service operates in shifts, a rest area for the night shift has been planned. There will be a total of sixteen rooms designed to offer an adequate space for rest, with optimal conditions of comfort and privacy. Next to the rest area, there will be a fully equipped gym; and, also, next to the lobby and with direct access from it, there will be a training room with ventilation, natural light, and a capacity for 30 people.
• Training area. In the southeast end, a space specifically designed for instruction, training, and practical training will be located, with different specialized facilities, such as a smoke gallery, a diving tank, or access to the training tower.

Additionally, although the building is exclusively for the use of the firefighters’ personnel, at street level, a space for the exhibition of historical equipment and vehicles of the service has been planned. A space that will be open to the public with controlled access and always under the supervision of authorized personnel.

The ground floor will have a single pedestrian access directly from Morgan Street. This access, which will be the main entrance of the building, will be materialized through a large covered double-height space that will act as a lobby and transition between the public space and the interior of the building.

Once inside, through this main entrance, you will reach a double-height lobby, from which access to the different rooms of the floor will be distributed. This lobby is designed to facilitate the mobility of personnel inside the building – essential for firefighters – as it will allow connection to both the upper floor and the basement.

In this floor, the rooms will be clearly differentiated according to their function, with three main spaces:

• Dining area, consisting of a living room, a dining room, and a small kitchen.
• Guardroom locker room and warehouses, in addition to those on the basement floor.
• Garages and maneuvering area. This level is where the vehicle access to the building is located, so a significant area has been reserved for garages (304.12 square meters) and maneuvering area (608.37 square meters). This space is designed to facilitate the quick entry and exit of intervention vehicles, especially trucks in case of emergencies. This area has a direct connection to the basement, facilitating and streamlining the internal mobility of firefighters.

In total, there will be 1,693.19 square meters of usable space on the ground floor.

The first floor, on the other hand, will have a usable area of 419.48 square meters dedicated to administrative spaces. This is where offices and meeting rooms will be located.

THE TRAINING TOWER

The training tower is specifically designed for the instruction, training, and practical training of firefighters. It is an independent volume composed of ground floor plus four upper levels and will offer the possibility to simulate different emergency situations.

This element has been conceived, within the project framework, as a versatile training space, as it will be equipped with different elements that simulate the real conditions of an emergency intervention.

Each level of the tower, for example, will recreate different configurations of housing and confined spaces, allowing training in various scenarios.

Access to the tower can be done from two different points of the main building. On the one hand, from the ground floor, directly from the maneuvering area; and, on the other hand, from the basement floor, facilitating direct connection to the training areas located on this level.

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