Overview
The Fort Gordon Fire Department provides fire and emergency services to one of the most active United States Army installations in America. It also augments emergency services in Augusta and other communities across Richmond, Jefferson, McDuffie and Columbia counties in the heart of Georgia.
With six conventional doors at their fire station, after only a few years in operation, maintenance personnel realized the limitations of traditional sectional doors as well as the high cost of ownership. After calculating the annual maintenance and repair costs, the department replaced the conventional doors with Rytec doors to save money but in the end, the doors saved time and could quite possibly save a life.
Fort Gordon Fire Department with Rytec Spiral Doors and Patented Spiral Design close-up
Conventional Cost of Maintenance
While the initial purchase price for the original doors was relatively low, the department recognized their doors were not designed for high-frequency use. The “old fashioned” doors required extensive maintenance and numerous replacement parts.
“The main reason for the change [in doors] was reduction in maintenance cost,” said Robert Gruber, assistant fire chief.
Original “Old Fashioned” Doors. Door downtime is a serious problem with conventional doors, especially when responding to an emergency. The original sectional doors required frequent and costly maintenance of rollers, hinges and cables.
New “High-Tech” Doors. With thousands of Spiral doors operating across North America, they are proven to handle literally millions of opening and closing cycles. Because the technology eliminates all metal-to-metal contact, the new doors are also “whisper quiet.”
Unconventional Solution
After researching their options and seeing the Spiral door in action at a nearby prison, the decision was clear—the Rytec door was the most cost-effective solution. Just days after the doors were installed by the Rytec dealer, Overhead Doors of Augusta, response from members of the community and local media was noteworthy.
“A local fire department invested in high- tech, low-maintenance doors and reduced their response time to emergencies,”
according to Bonnie Heater, staff writer for the local newspaper.
Unlike standard doors, Rytec Spiral doors are specifically engineered for high cycle applications like police and fire stations. The spiral design and industrial grade construction require only a fraction of the maintenance of traditional doors. But without a doubt, the most noticeable feature of these doors is the speed.
“Our trucks can be dispatched faster to handle an emergency on post. With an opening speed up to 60 inches per second, the Rytec Spiral doors offer the speed needed for high-traffic situations such as ours,” said Gruber.
At Fort Gordon, Rytec’s Spiral door takes less than two and a half seconds to open. It’s powerful; high-efficiency electric motor, nylon rollers and spiral track enable high speed and smooth motion. A variable-speed drive provides soft starting and stopping as well as infinite speed adjustments.
While mission critical, the extreme speed wasn’t enough for the purchasing department. The state-of-the-art technology had to be highly reliable, safe and durable to meet rigorous department specifications. And the Spiral met this criterion.
As an added benefit, the new doors also enable complete access to the full height of the building. The tracks supporting the original overhead-style sectional doors projected into the center of the building. This restricted the use of any space above the height of the door. Because the spiral loop is compact and mounted above the doorway, the obtrusive overhead tracks are eliminated.
Beyond the primary goal of reducing maintenance costs, fire trucks and equipment now roll out a lot faster with the help of the new doors.
“The new doors help reduce our response time between 30 to 45 seconds and this can make a big difference when responding to an emergency,” said Lester Porter, fire chief.
As Fort Gordon discovered, the investment not only saves time and money, it could conceivably save a life—because in an emergency, every second counts.
Secured in Station. Fire truck secured behind the rigid door panel consisting of interconnected slats with reinforced hinges.
Tightly Sealed. A durable rubber membrane covering the connecting hinges creates a tight weather seal.
Clean Architectural Lines. The minimalist design of the Spiral doors compliments the Fort Gordon station architecture.
