Tag: emergency preparedness

School Safety Is Top of Mind for Parents and Teachers

As K-12 students prepare to return to the classroom after summer break, a new survey gauges the most pressing safety concerns for parents and teachers. The report shows that 67% of both parties are much more concerned about school safety now than they were five years ago, even though 73% of parents and 80% of […]

Maintenance Tips for Your Facility’s Backup Power Generator

As facilities management professionals, you can never be too prepared for power outages or emergencies. Facilities need to maintain operations and prevent potential losses that can result from power outages. When an unexpected storm, wildfire, or other natural disasters happen, facilities depend on uninterrupted backup power. But when a generator sits for too long without […]

Tornado Strikes Major Pfizer Facility in North Carolina

Pfizer Inc. announced the pharmaceutical company’s immediate efforts to provide relief and repair the damage caused to its manufacturing facility in Rocky Mount, N.C., after a violent tornado swept through the town on Wednesday, July 19. According to the National Weather Service, the tornado was an EF-3 with peak winds up to 150 miles per […]

5 Steps for Hurricane Preparedness and Facility Resilience

As the Atlantic hurricane season looms, businesses must take proactive measures to protect their facilities from the potentially devastating impact of severe storms. With experts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicting a range of 12 to 17 named storms in 2023—with five to nine of them being hurricanes, including one to four Category […]

What’s Ahead for this Hurricane Season?

June marks the official start of hurricane season, which runs through Nov. 30. But how many of these potentially dangerous storms should we expect (and prepare for) this year? The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently released its 2023 Atlanta Hurricane Season outlook, which forecasts a “near-normal” season. Specifically, the agency predicts a 40% chance of […]

Hurricane Season Safety Guidelines for Your Elevators

Federal agencies are commemorating National Hurricane Preparedness Week April 30-May 6, 2023, in a national campaign to help everyone get ready before hurricane season begins on June 1. Although Facilities Management Advisor has offered many resources over the years about how to prepare your facilities for these dangerous storms, what should you do about your […]

FMs, Resilience, and Risk Management

Risk mitigation is the process of planning and developing options to reduce threats or risks to people. Resilience is the ability to learn, respond, reflect, and recover from emergencies. While risk mitigation activities are preventative, and resilience activities are reactive, both place serious responsibility on the shoulders of facilities management teams. What’s important in resilience […]

Pennsylvania OKs $4.8M Safety and Security Training Program for All School Employees

All school employees in Pennsylvania will receive three hours of safety and security training every year, at no charge to their schools, through a new program grant approved by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD). “Every kid deserves to be safe and feel safe, whether they’re in the classroom, on the playing field, waiting […]

Springtime Tips to Prepare Businesses for Extreme Weather

This spring may bring about damaging weather events, including heavy rain, severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hurricanes. With such threats looming, insurance firm QBE North America has shared best practices to help U.S. business owners and facilities managers stay prepared and protected. “As we shake off winter, now is the time to identify potential risks, address […]

NYC Firehouses Install ‘Resilient’ Solar Projects to Protect Against Blackouts

City officials have announced completion of a $2.4 million project to install solar photovoltaic (PV) systems atop six New York City Fire Department (FDNY) firehouses in Queens and Brooklyn. In addition to generating emissions-free energy, these systems will use battery storage to ensure that the firehouses remain operational during blackouts, brownouts, or storms if electric […]