Fire protection infrastructure at a convenience store and fuel retail operation has a particularly important role to play. These facilities combine customer traffic, buildings, equipment, inventory and the handling and storage of fuel within a single operating environment, making dependable fire protection an essential consideration.
For a Buddy Boys location in St. Augustine, Florida, that requirement had an additional dimension: the fire protection water storage system also needed to be engineered around the environmental conditions associated with its Florida location.
SBS Tanks supplied and installed an 85,330-gallon CY11R07 Cyclonic Range water tank to provide dedicated water storage for the facility’s fire sprinkler system. The solution was designed around three primary requirements—NFPA 22 compliance, cyclonic engineering and efficient use of a restricted site footprint.
The result demonstrates how fire protection water storage can be engineered around both the operational requirements of a commercial site and the environmental conditions it may face.
Convenience stores and fuel retail operations present a distinctive fire protection environment. In addition to protecting employees, customers, buildings and inventory, the presence of fuel and associated infrastructure reinforces the importance of a reliable fire suppression system.
Where the available municipal water supply cannot independently satisfy the requirements of a sprinkler system, dedicated fire protection water storage provides the required reserve of water onsite.
For Buddy Boys, this meant providing an engineered storage solution capable of supplying the site’s sprinkler system while complying with the requirements of NFPA 22, the standard governing water tanks for private fire protection.
The project location also influenced tank selection. St. Augustine sits on Florida’s Atlantic coast, placing infrastructure within a region where tropical storms, hurricanes and high wind events form part of the wider environmental risk profile. Water storage infrastructure in such locations therefore needs to be considered not only in terms of capacity, but also in terms of structural performance.
Following review of the project requirements, SBS Tanks specified a CY11R07 from its Cyclonic Range, providing 85,330 gallons of dedicated fire protection water storage.
The SBS Tanks Cyclonic Range is specifically engineered for areas exposed to severe meteorological conditions, including hurricanes, tropical storms and other high-velocity wind events. Cyclonic configurations can be engineered for wind ratings of up to 150 mph, making the range particularly relevant to fire protection and commercial infrastructure in Florida and other hurricane-exposed regions.
For Buddy Boys, the project-specific tank design was also reviewed and sealed by a Florida State-licensed professional engineer, providing independent engineering oversight appropriate to the location and application.
This combination of NFPA 22 requirements, cyclonic engineering and state-licensed professional engineering review provided a coordinated approach to the tank’s structural and fire protection requirements.
Wind loading was not the only factor influencing the tank selection. Like many commercial developments, the Buddy Boys site had limited space available for fire protection water storage. The challenge was therefore to accommodate more than 85,000 gallons without unnecessarily increasing the amount of valuable site area occupied by the tank.
The CY11R07 provided a vertically optimized solution, using the flexibility of SBS Tanks modular configuration to achieve the required capacity within a more efficient footprint. For commercial sites, this flexibility can be significant. Buildings, parking, vehicle circulation, utilities, fire department access and other infrastructure all compete for available land. A fire protection tank therefore needs to become part of the overall site design rather than simply occupying whatever space remains.
At Buddy Boys, tank capacity, footprint and environmental loading were considered together when determining the appropriate solution.
The benefits of modular construction continued into the installation phase.
Prior to the tank arriving onsite, SBS Tanks provided the required foundation specifications to the client. This allowed the foundation to be prepared in advance and ensured the site was ready when installation commenced.
SBS Tanks’ specialized jacking methodology allows the tank to be progressively assembled and raised during construction, avoiding the need for the cranes and extensive scaffolding associated with many traditional tank construction methods.
At Buddy Boys, a five-person installation team completed the tank in just five days. That achievement was particularly notable given the conditions encountered onsite. The installation team worked through extreme heat, high humidity and rain, yet the tank was completed safely and within the expected timeframe.
For an active commercial development, installation efficiency has benefits beyond reducing construction time. A shorter and more controlled installation process can simplify coordination with other contractors, reduce disruption and help keep the broader project schedule moving.
Reliable fire protection water storage depends on more than the final installation. SBS Tanks incorporates quality control throughout manufacturing and project delivery, with tanks manufactured within an ISO 9001-certified environment and installed using established SBS Tanks procedures.
For the Buddy Boys project, this manufacturing and installation framework was supported by the independent engineering review and certification of the tank design. The project brief specifically identifies NFPA 22 compliance and Florida State-licensed P.E. review and stamping as central compliance requirements.
SBS Tanks Cyclonic Range further incorporates G300 Galvalume® steel with an AZ150 coating and an internal liner system, providing a durable modular storage solution engineered for demanding environmental applications.
Together, these elements provide an integrated approach extending from engineering and manufacturing through foundation coordination, installation and completion.
The completed Buddy Boys installation highlights an increasingly important principle in fire protection water storage: capacity alone does not determine the right tank.
An 85,000-gallon requirement can be approached in multiple ways, but the appropriate solution depends on where that water needs to be stored. Available footprint, environmental loading, local engineering requirements, construction conditions and the nature of the facility itself all influence tank selection.
In St. Augustine, SBS Tanks brought those considerations together in a single solution – an 85,330-gallon CY11R07, engineered for cyclonic conditions, designed around NFPA 22 requirements and optimized for the space available.
Despite demanding Florida weather during construction, five installers completed the tank safely in five days, with both the contractor and end user satisfied with the professionalism and efficiency of the project delivery.
For Buddy Boys, the completed tank now provides the dedicated water storage required to support its fire protection system. For the wider commercial and fire protection sectors, the project reinforces a simple but important point: reliable fire protection water storage should be engineered not only for the gallons required, but for the site, environment and conditions in which the tank must perform.
SBS Tanks USA designs, supplies and installs modular steel water storage solutions for fire protection, commercial, industrial, agricultural, rainwater harvesting and utility applications.
Offering capacities from approximately 3,170 gallons to more than 1.1 million gallons, SBS Tanks provides a wide selection of tank diameters and heights, allowing storage solutions to be engineered around project-specific capacity, footprint and environmental requirements. Cyclonic configurations are available for projects exposed to demanding wind conditions, while seismic engineering options can be incorporated where required.
Manufactured using corrosion-resistant Galvalume® steel and purpose-designed liner technology, SBS Tanks combine modular construction, project-specific engineering and an efficient installation methodology to provide reliable long-term water storage across a wide range of applications.
© SBS Holdings 2026
