Designing the bank for disaster

On April 15, 2012, at 2:40 in the morning, Titonka Savings Bank President Allan Boyken received a phone call. The voice on the other end was his son, Aaron Boyken, vice president of the bank. The bank's main location in Titonka, Iowa was on fire..A retired fire fighter, Allan Boyken arrived on the scene within minutes. Soon, the Titonka fire department also arrived in addition to three fire departments from surrounding towns. The fire departments began pumping the 300,000 gallons of water that would be needed to put out the fire. .As the fire spread, Aaron Boyken, also the bank's chief technology officer and a volunteer fire fighter, knew recovery would occur more quickly if the bank's servers remained intact. At 7 a.m., he and another bank staff member received permission to enter the branch in fire gear to retrieve the servers. After numerous trips to the center of the building, the two succeeded..Two hours earlier, the bank had called its architect, Waterloo, Iowa-based Turnkey Associates, L.C. "Turnkey had their man here by 9 a.m.," said Allan Boyken. "They ordered out a double-wide modular unit that morning. Within two weeks, they prepared the site, delivered the unit and we were moved in. We are very pleased with how they have assisted us through this disaster.".Ultimately, the firefighters had to knock the building down to put out the fire..Immediately following the fire, the bank made it known Titonka Savings Bank would rebuild. Working with Turnkey Associates, the $178 million bank purchased the land adjacent to the destroyed bank and began demolishing the old buildings for a new 18,000-square-foot facility within 60 days of the fire. The new location will incorporate the red roof branding of Titonka Savings Bank and has been designed with an eye to the future. "The new building will have a server room that is accessible within one door of the exterior," Aaron Boyken said. "It cannot be overstated how saving the servers simplified recovery.".The bank broke ground on the new building last summer; it is scheduled to be ready this July.