Hygienic facilities and indoor air for firefighters

The twenty-year-old fire station in the lively centre of Vesilahti was expanded in 2024. During the planning stage, the intention was to handle ventilation through extraction only, but luckily Miikka Hellqvist from The Putkari Oy became involved in the process early enough, and planned the supply/extract ventilation with heat recovery for the site. This helps heat up a significant portion of the supply air, and the primary heating system is only needed to support heat recovery.

Heat recovery is also important for the future operation of the property. The site is still utilising oil heating, but plans to switch to geothermal heat are already under way. Thanks to the heat recovery feature, the property can opt for a smaller geothermal pump in the future. In addition, the Vallox Pureo air handling unit selected for the fire station has a standard-installed water circulation post-heating radiator which can be connected to the geothermal grid. This allows geothermal heat to support the ventilation unit in heating the supply air.

The extension of the fire station also included the construction of appropriate facilities for washing, drying and storing gear, applying the Clean Cab model. The aim of the Clean Cab model is to decrease the fire crew’s exposure to contaminants through correct protection. The Vallox Pureo ventilation unit selected for the site supports this goal excellently as it has been designed to fulfill the criteria of the VDI 6022 hygiene standards. Following the principles of the model, after finishing an assignment, the crew in Vesilahti takes their gear to a separate space and washes it before moving the clean gear to storage. Only clean gear is allowed in the clean spaces in order to decrease potential exposure to harmful contaminants.

Extraction at the site ensures good ventilation, and potentially harmful substances as well as steam from washing equipment and gear are extracted efficiently, thanks to the humidity sensor of the Vallox Pureo air handling unit. The sensor enables the unit to detect steam and, if necessary, boost the ventilation. In this way, the ventilation unit manages the property automatically without human help. Indeed, according to Hellqvist, who planned the HVAC installation, this is the clearest improvement that appropriate ventilation was able to achieve. Humidity was a big problem in the old hall, and in the summer, the temperature could easily rise to over 30 degrees Celsius. Contaminants in gear also caused bad odours. Now the indoor temperature of the hall no longer exceeds the outside temperature, and odours can be managed.

The Vallox Pureo installed on the site was Miikka Hellqvist’s first encounter with the model: ‘Easy to install – you just put the unit in place, connect the wires, and that’s about it.’ The HVAC planner had picked the unit in question for the ventilation plan. As the contractor, Miikka queried different options, but as the Pureo had a reasonable price tag and it was immediately available, there was no need to amend the plans.

By request of the wellbeing services county of Pirkanmaa, the site now also includes facilities for 24/7 crew. Rest facilities and a gym were built for the staff, and the indoor air quality in these spaces is managed with a smaller Vallox unit.