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It’s rarely one big mistake that derails a project - it’s a pile of small ones that stack up fast.
Cities often rush to break ground in an effort to show progress, but if programming isn’t locked down, you’re building on shaky ground. Fire stations, in particular, demand intense front-end coordination — from operational flow and bay sizing to gear zoning and alerting systems. None of that can be winged.
Without input from command staff and facilities, you can end up with a great-looking station that’s miserable to operate. Add in a dozen players - civil, MEP, structural, architect, GC, IT, alerting installer - and nobody owns the whole picture. That’s when delays, change orders, and finger-pointing begin.
Even smart, capable leaders get steamrolled by technical jargon, contract loopholes, and billing games. If no one’s watching closely, your contingency disappears before you realize it.
And remember - site visits aren’t the same as oversight. One is observation; the other is management. Oversight means staying engaged, verifying, and holding everyone accountable to the plan.
Without it, small misses turn into expensive problems - and your project goes sideways fast.
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