Core 22 Design Build was contracted to design and construct a new 11,408 SF Fire/EMS Station and neighborhood park in the Blackwater area of Virginia Beach. Since the construction of this project was phased and the neighborhood park is located four miles from Blackwater Fire/EMS station, careful coordination between the two sites was required. Work on the park needed to be complete prior to beginning construction of Station #13, which included the relocation of the baseball field at the Station to the park. Now complete, the park offers the community new picnic shelters, two baseball fields, a playground, and a basketball court.

The new Station #13 is staffed 24/7 by firefighters and EMS personnel working in 24-hour shifts. Amenities for personnel include eight bunk rooms with four full toilet/shower rooms, locker rooms, a full-service kitchen, dining and food storage areas, an exercise room, a laundry room, and separate fire and EMS day rooms. The operational aspects of the facility consist of administrative offices, a watch room, a hazmat decontamination room, and a public restroom vestibule. The new station has five back-in apparatus bays that are equipped to house five full-size firetrucks.

RRMM Architects PC incorporated sustainable design principles to the maximum extent possible, such as high efficiency geothermal HVAC design, use of energy-efficient LED lightening systems, use of water-efficient plumbing fixtures, use of low VOC emitting materials, and the use of light exterior colors to reduce heat island effect.