How to Create a Resilient Facility Management Workforce

How to Create a Resilient Facility Management Workforce

Digital tools put the source of knowledge in employees’ hands and empower employees to make more informed decisions when faced with challenges in the field. Resiliency is a principal tenet of the building fire and life safety world. Go to any conference and you’ll hear the word echoing all day — and for good reason….

How To Maintain Building and Equipment Access for the Responding Fire Department

How To Maintain Building and Equipment Access for the Responding Fire Department

When facility managers and building owners think of fire department access, they typically think about keeping a fire lane clear, so the responding fire department has a place to set up their equipment in case of an emergency. While this is critical to an effective response, there are many other aspects of a building that…

2022: A Year of Challenges and Progress in Fire Safety

2022: A Year of Challenges and Progress in Fire Safety

With the holiday season upon us and we near the end of the year, I can’t help but think about the tragedies that ushered us into 2022. The tragic fires in Philadelphia and the Bronx in early January, coupled with the barrage of wildfires, made national headlines. Throughout the year, there were many other incidents…

The 3Ps of Campus Safety: Why a Fortress Full of Gadgets Will Not Keep Your Campus Safe and Welcoming

The 3Ps of Campus Safety: Why a Fortress Full of Gadgets Will Not Keep Your Campus Safe and Welcoming

I work at a small college as their first-ever Director of Campus Safety and Security. Prior to my arrival, the college employed security for eight hours an evening, and the security supervisor was also the dorm supervisor/men’s soccer coach. When I came on board, I felt our new department should have a mission statement, because…

4 Ways to Finance Energy Efficiency and Renewables

4 Ways to Finance Energy Efficiency and Renewables

Looking for “free” money? Here are four ways to improve a building’s energy efficiency and lower an organization’s greenhouse gas emissions for low or no out-of-pocket cost. As budgets crunch, facility managers are constantly on the lookout for strategies that can help ease the pain. Especially for those with stringent energy efficiency targets, but stringy…

4 ways buyer expectations have changed the AEC industry

4 ways buyer expectations have changed the AEC industry

From a lingering pandemic and economic turmoil to supply chain issues and political unrest, the past few years have seen an influx of challenges that affect how buyers of AEC services spend their money. For AEC firms to thrive in this transformed marketplace, they need to understand these changes in buyer behavior. What are their…