June 2010 Issue #1216

Articles

• Medical Emergency

  As the government strives to implement healthcare reform and is approaching many hurdles, the 2011 National Electrical Code (NEC) is well into the development process. Technical committees have acted upon all NEC change proposals and comments. This month, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) will host its annual conference and exposition where the final NEC technical session will take place. At this meeting, the membership is afforded one last opportunity to shape the Code for the coming cycle, as final revisions can happen by floor actions.

• Breaking Through the Red Tape

  How could maintaining a fire alarm system in a government building possibly be different than a private commercial building? It may not seem obvious, but attempting to maintain a fire alarm system in a government building brings many unique issues into focus.

• Government Buildings Automate

  More than half of U.S. federal government buildings are 50 years old or older. In fact, approximately 25 percent of the General Services Administration’s (GSA) 1,600 buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places. Now, with a series of federal, state and local mandates issued in the past five years, the pressure is on to make government facilities—even historic ones—more energy efficient.

• Courting Security Success

  When Fred Scripture, owner of Commercial Controls Corp., Valencia, Calif., ponders the security work involved in the company’s project at the California Court of Appeal, 4th District Courthouse in downtown Santa Ana, he is amazed at the depth of the project. The courthouse opened last fall, and final security work was completed in March.