About FD&C
My name is Jim McClure. I retired as a Captain from the San
Jose, CA. Fire Department after almost 29 years of service. The
department has 33 stations open. They house 31 engines, nine trucks and several
specialized companies. Ten of my last twelve years were spent in the
Bureau of Support Services. The first three years were in the role of Facilities Captain. I was
responsible for the project management of all repair projects for every
fire department building including the training center. This work brought me into contact with city
repair staff, contractors and vendors. I learned from every one of them. Maintaining the firehouse taught me what breaks, what doesn’t and how easy or hard is it to get parts. This influences every decision I make.
Starting high school I wanted to be an architect. I attended a technical high school and studied architectural drafting for three years. College had other plans for me but I never lost my interest in architecture.
In 1988 I earned a lifetime teaching credential for Fire Science classes at the Junior College level.
In 2002, the voters of San Jose
passed a $70M Bond for fire department construction. To manage those funds, the
city created a design & construction management team. This team consisted
of architects, engineers, analysts and consultants with me representing the
Fire Department. After nine years, the team produced a five volume Fire Station Master
Program, acquired nine sites, completed four major renovations, two temporary fire stations, ten new fire stations, (including one LEED Silver & seven with Public Art), one under construction, and one more waiting to go out to bid. At
completion of the program, the Department will have
12 new firehouses totaling 75,000 square feet.
After reviewing years worth of
construction documents, specification books, submittals and spending more hours on
constructions sites than I can count, I developed a keen eye for
the detail needed to build a
functional, durable and maintainable 21st Century Firehouse.
When I review plans, not only am I looking for compliance to the Program, I am looking for the little things that add to the functionality & livability of the firehouse. I developed a long checklist of brilliant choices and bungling mistakes made by architects, engineers, contractors, fire department personnel and, yes, even myself. I always refer to it.
