The new Cape Canaveral Fire and Rescue facility in Florida is a far cry from the previous station that was built by volunteers in 1962, which had become outdated and inefficient. The modern station - featuring aluminum roofing from Petersen - is now home to 15 volunteers and 35 paid personnel, and is designed to effectively serve the City of Cape Canaveral, Port Canaveral and Avon By The Sea. The station includes three vehicle bays, a bunk room, kitchen, office space and an exercise room.

The station establishes a new high standard for the department. “It’s like day and night compared to the old station,” said Chief David Sargeant. “Now, when the sirens go off, the lights come on to wake the crew and the bay doors open up so we have a quicker response time out of the building. Plus, the station is extremely energy-efficient and you won’t find a better looking building in the city.”

After demolishing the existing building, general contractor W & J Construction in Rockledge, Fla., cleared the land to make way for the new 10,800 sq. ft. structure. Built of masonry, cold-formed steel framing/trusses and a steel deck roof with PAC-CLAD panels, the structure was built to handle the harsh conditions of Florida beach-side weather. The facility is designed to withstand 160 mph winds as well as the corrosive saltwater environment.

Approximately 14,000 sq. ft. of Petersen’s Tite-Loc Plus aluminum panels finished in Arcadia Green were utilized for the building’s roof. The PAC-CLAD panels were manufactured at Petersen’s Acworth, Ga., plant. Installation of the panels was completed by Quality Metals in Sanford, Fla.

Panel testing for the high wind uplifts was a significant factor in the selection of Petersen, said Dave Landis, architectural/technical sales manager. “We used Miami-Dade NOA engineering information to show the architect that the aluminum panels would significantly exceed the wind load requirements for the job.”

Architectural design for the project was created by BRPH in Melbourne, Fla.