In Alaska, everything is big. The mountains. The glaciers. And, the fire stations. The new Fire Station 73 in Big Lake, Alaska boasts 19 large garage doors from Haas Door, making them one of the biggest fire departments in “The Last Frontier” state.

Opened in early 2018, the West Lakes Fire Department was built by Howdie Inc., a general commercial contractor in south central Alaska. The fast track design/build project began in April 2017 and was completed just 10 months later. The massive structure serves as a combination facility for two separate emergency services departments.

“One wing is fleet maintenance for the Matanuska Susitna borough and the other wing is West Lakes Fire Station 73,” says Todd Nugent, CEO at Howdie Inc. “Commercial 2000 Series garage doors from Haas Door were used for drive-thru apparatus bays in both wings. They were also used as access to a maintenance warehouse and drive-thru access to a lube/oil room.”

Made to Withstand Alaska Weather

The 19 doors (Model 2032 from Haas Door) feature smooth 20-gauge galvanized steel. CFC-free polyurethane insulation built into the two-inch thick doors provides a high R-Value in the sectional steel doors to enhance energy efficiency.

The 2000 series doors are reinforced with roll-formed galvanized steel struts and double-end hinges, as required to meet wind load specifications and comply with ANSI/DASMA 102-2011. The three-tier, corrosion-resistant protective paint system with a polyurethane primer and durable polyester finish coat is found on both the interior and exterior steel.  2000 series doors also include Air Infiltration Seals, which exceed the ASHRAE 90.1 Standard.

“We used our scissor bed truck for most of the 10-day installation to increase efficiency and safety on the job site,” says Jason Slater, project/operations manager at Door Systems of Alaska. “There were 16 large 14-foot by 16-foot garage doors for this project plus two 10-foot by 10-foot doors and a single 12-foot by 8-foot door. We installed the doors in October, just in time for them to turn the heat on for the start of winter.

“Our company installs a lot of Haas Door products in this area for mostly commercial projects. We trust them. In fact, the doors we installed on our first new shop back in 2003 were three-inch thick Haas garage doors with an R-Value of 25.8 and they’re still performing extremely well 15 years later.”

Life at Fire Station 73

Along with having the drive-thru bays at the new fire station, the facility also features a warehouse, tool room, machine bays and storage areas. To make life comfortable for the fire fighters, there’s a large kitchen, exercise room, day room, laundry facilities, bunk areas and meeting space.

“We’re proud of how this project turned out for the fire fighters,” says Nugent. “Selecting high-quality garage doors from Haas was a smart choice that we believe will serve this station admirably for many years to come.”

Haas Door offers commercial garage doors in both aluminum and steel for a wide range of applications. Durable and dependable, the company's garage doors come in a variety of thicknesses and sizes to handle any sized commercial project opening.