Saturday, June 20, 2015

How to House a Tyrannosaurus Rex

So, Masrani Global, just awarded you the contract to build the world’s greatest theme park, Jurassic World? Aside from knowing the codes for, helipads, sea ports, a state-of-the-art control center, and a massive water tank - the main question you should be asking yourself is, “how do you house a Tyrannosaurus Rex?”

NFPA 150, Standard on Fire and Life Safety in Animal Housing Facilities provides a five step process for providing a safe environment for both, animals, and the humans that will be visiting them.

Step 1 - Determine the facility class. The first step to applying the code is to determine the facility class. The parks’ draw is the ability for guests to see and experience the prehistoric creatures, so regular public access and interaction with the animal is necessary.  Class 3 facilities are those that house animals with regular general public access.

Step 2 - Determine the animal category. All animals are classified as, either, Category A or Category B. The Tyrannosaurus rex is the largest, existing, meat-eating animal. This creature would “pose a potential risk to the health or safety of rescuers or the general public”, and would be “impossible or impractical to move.”  This classifies the T. rex as a Category A animal.

Step 3 - Determine the enclosure requirements. NFPA 150 requires that enclosures allow enough space for the “animal to express all species-typical postures, social adjustment, behaviors, and movements.”  Furthermore, the animal “shall be able to lie down with limbs extended”, without any obstructions from the enclosure itself. T. rex is 40’ long and 20’ tall.

NFPA 150 does not currently list the T. rex requirements in its minimum areas table in the Annex section of 7.3 (perhaps in the next revision).  However, the tallest animal that is listed, by comparison, is the giraffe.  The minimum enclosure requirements for a giraffe is 225 sq. ft. with 20’ high walls.  The bull elephant is about the equal weight of the T. rex- 15,000 lbs. For the bull elephant, NFPA 150, recommends a horizontal design force of 10,000 lbs., to a height of 8’ (for the giraffe).

Step 4 - Determine the egress requirements. The minimum width of egress openings is required to be “one-and-one-half times the largest average width” of the largest animal using the door.  A fully grown T. rex can be 8-10’ wide, so your minimum egress width will need to be approximately 15’.

Step 5 - Determine the fire protection/special hazard requirements. All facilities housing Category A animals are required to have a fire sprinklers throughout and a smoke control system installed.  A full fire alarm system is required in all Class 3 areas, and fire extinguishers with a rating of at least 2A:10BC is required to be within 50’ of travel.

No matter the animal size, Brachiosaurus to Compsognathus, by following these 5 steps you can protect these creatures from extinction, and ensure that they are with us, far into the future.

provided by, Zoon Solutions

Monday, June 15, 2015

Good Intentions - 10 Time Eaters That Will Keep You From Your Mission

It has been said, “the road to failure is paved with good intentions”.  Many in the work place have great ideas for innovation and improvement.  However, without a clear plan and sharp focus, these end up as just “great ideas” or “good intentions”.  

'Time' by Celestine Chua

In Company Officer, by Clinton Smoke, he lists ten “time eaters”.  These “time eaters” are items that creep in and distract you from your main goals and mission objectives.  Being aware of these is the first step in preventing them from derailing and distracting from the things that matter most.

  1. Lack of personal goals and objectives - have and maintain a clear vision of where you want to go
  2. Lack of planning - dedicate the end or beginning of each day to planning your schedule
  3. Procrastination - complete activities early in the day, do not put off activites that can be completed now for later
  4. Reacting to urgent events, often the result of procrastination - if your day is properly planned, and scheduled, an urgent event will not created major set-backs
  5. Telephone interruptions - keep unnecessary and unschedule phone calls short; turn off the phone when you need to stay focused on certain projects.
  6. Drop-in visitors - be nice, be polite, but be to the point with unscheduled guests
  7. Trying to do too much yourself - do the things only you can do, delegate the rest
  8. Ineffective delegation - delegate the right responsibilities to the right people
  9. Personal disorganization - do what is necessary to maintain focus and organization in your personal life and professional goals.
  10. Inability to say “no” - say ‘no’ to any tasks or items do not further your goals, or contribute to your plan/vision.

Take some time this week to review your goals and objectives, and act on your "good intentions".

Monday, June 1, 2015

Top 5 Benefits of Third-Party Plan Review

In, The Road to CO, I discuss some potential roadblocks on the path to permitting and approval.  The roadblock most often encountered happens in the plan review stage.  Lack of required information, or failure to comply with local ordinances and AHJ (authority having jurisdiction) requirements will have your plans stuck in permitting and you paying for and sending endless re-submittals.  This hold up at the front end of your project can have significant impacts on the end date, completion, and obtaining a certificate of occupancy. 

photo by Daniel X. O'Neil

The best way to avoid these problems and ensure that your project plans are submitted and approved in a timely and efficient manner is through the use of a third-party plan review.  Here are the top 5 ways that your project can benefit from third-party plan review:

     1.  Keep your project on schedule. 

A plan review expert will have an in-depth understanding of the scope of your project, and the scheduling milestones that need to be met. These experts can review, provide input, and have your plans ready for submittal in plenty of time to address any "unforseen" issues that may arise.

     2.  Coordinate communications. 

Every building project is made up of many parts including, architects, engineers, contractors, facilities personnel, and building owners.  The plan review expert can serve as a central point of contact for these people, keep everyone on the same page, and ensure that no detail is overlooked.

     3.  Avoid delays. 

By working through the plan review process any significant code discrepancies can be addressed, corrected, or altered prior to submittal.

     4.  Function as part of the design team. 

Bringing on a plan review expert in the very beginning concept stages of your project can prove extremely advantageous. A plan review expert can serve as a neutral voice for the project, and seek out solutions for foreseen issues from the earliest developmental stages.

     5.  Provide excellence in customer service.  

With a professional plan review expert you can expect top notch treatment. To the expert you are not just another number or another design in a stack of drawings.  You are a specific individual with a project that will impact the world for good.

To ensure that your next project goes smoothly, finishes within budget, and opens on-time, consider the use of a third-party plan review service.

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