Power Players: Finding Emergency Power System Vulnerabilities

By David L. Stymiest, P.E., CHFM, FASHE (in Health Facilities Management)

Power failures often occur with little or no warning, leaving hospitals and other health care facilities vulnerable. Facilities professionals must have well-considered power failure procedures in place to deal with these emergencies; it is too late to develop them after the failure.

Knowledge of effective power failure planning concepts—including power failure vulnerability analyses, emergency power risk assessments and emergency power gap analyses—is essential for facilities professionals seeking to develop such procedures. Professionals are also urged to explore financial business continuity practices for more information on advanced power system reliability planning and analyses.

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Prescription for Power: Advice on EP System Reliability

By David Stymiest, P.E., CHFM, SASHE (in Health Facilities Management)

Emergency power (EP) reliability means having EP available in sufficient quantity where, when and for whatever duration it is needed. That is a tall order but one that every health care facility faces.

How can facilities professionals improve EP system reliability? The EP reliability equation demands holistic management that includes all of the following elements:

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Power When It Counts

By David L. Stymiest, P.E., CHFM, FASHE (on FacilitiesNet.com)

Hospital maintenance and engineering departments must have programs in place to monitor and test their facilities’ emergency power systems. With the recent release of the Sentinel Event Alert 37, the bar is higher for all health care organizations accredited by the Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO).

Before the alert, the recordkeeping for many hospitals’ testing programs consisted mainly of generator loading and operating parameters, test times, and verification of transfer switch operation. Now managers must consider other issues, including test-related interactions with HVAC, vertical-transportation, and clinical systems and equipment.

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Position of Power: Using an EPMS to Provide Electricity Savings, Reliability and Other Benefits

By Jason V. D’Antona, P.E., and David L. Stymiest, P.E., CHFM, SASHE, CEM (in Health Facilities Management)

Electrical Power Management Systems (EPMS) are quickly becoming commonplace in today’s health care facilities.

Microprocessor-based technology has become widely integrated into electrical distribution equipment, enabling easy connection into a facility EPMS. Moreover, nearly all new electrical distribution components can be prewired for EPMS at minimal cost.

But, despite the availability of this new equipment, implementing an effective EPMS can be a challenging task that requires strong collaboration between the facility manager, design team and system vendor. In the end, however, the effort will be worth it.

Read entire article here: Position of Power