"Facility Planning for Disaster
Preparedness"
Chris Cosgrove,
CUH2A
|
Contents: Building Codes
& Animal Welfare - Problem #1 Equipment
Failure - Problem #2 Mechnical Failure
Are there ways that one can help to avoid disasters by looking at how
facilities are designed? If there is one thing you can count on to change
the way buildings are designed, it is a disaster. I am sure that skyscrapers
will never be designed the same way again in the aftermath of September
11th and you could probably count on some code changes to reinforce
that. In this presentation, we will first look at what kinds of disasters
can affect a vivarium. Then we will look at how vivariums are designed
now and what implication building code has on the design. Finally, we
will look at some examples of disasters in vivariums and what could
be done during the design stage to minimize their impact.
Disasters Come In Many Forms
• Natural disasters
• Equipment
• Personnel
• Security |
|
Although natural disasters are the ones most thought of when one thinks
of disasters, they are not the only kind of disaster you might run across
in your facility. However, security problems are usually
derived from animal activist groups.
In the end, there are many types of disasters that can occur within
your facility and one should take the time and care to ensure a plan
is in place to deal with all of them. So what kinds of things can be
done?
Design, Building Codes &
Animal Welfare
 |
To begin with, we can look at some simple ways vivariums
could be improved to better survive a disaster. Durability of materials
and systems can play a big part. That is, making sure that the materials
are suited for the environment and if seismic anchoring is required
that it meets the local code. Some materials are simply stronger
and more durable than others. |
There is no one place that is better than another for the location
of the vivarium. The tendency is to always place it in the basement
for security reasons, but that can lead to problems with flooding. Another
place to put it is on the top floor, but that can lead to issues of
getting utilities to the top floor and potentially problems with equipment
performance. So, the placement of the vivarium must be a balance between
security, cost and operational aspects.
The code of the region can affect the design of the vivarium. Different
jurisdictions have their own requirements on everything from how much
clear wall space there must be next to a door, to the travel distances
to exits and the amount of bedding one can have in a storage room. Code
will have an impact on how many fire zones there are in a building,
to how much hazardous material can be stored in a lab.
• Durability of materials and systems
• Vivarium placement within the building
• Code impact on design
• Code can vary by jurisdiction
• Code is designed for people, not animals |
 |
But remember that code is designed for people, not animals. As a result,
the building will probably be designed to protect the people and get
them out, but will not do much for the animals left behind. So what
could be done? There is a kind of code called institutional code that
is used in hospitals, prisons and similar buildings. It is different
because it must not only protect the workers in the building but the
patients/inmates as well. There may be some room for items from this
code to be applied to the vivarium. For example, a hospital must be
designed with a place of refuge where patients can be brought to wait
until it is safe for them to be evacuated out of the building or returned
to their rooms. The same type of space could be provided within a vivarium
to locate racks of animals temporarily. Another option would be to provide
additional fire rating to egress routes in order to allow the time needed
for evacuation of animals. In conjunction with this, the fire rating
on alarm wiring could be increased in order to keep the enunciators
working longer.
Applying institutional code in its entirety would not be practical
or cost efficient for vivariums. There are some things that could be
considered in its design, like those mentioned above, that are borrowed
from the code. It all depends on what importance the institute places
on the issue and how it balances with the increased cost. In some cases
where the animals being housed are unique to the world or are irreplaceable
due to baseline data that has been collected over the years, it may
be worthwhile to have an area of refuge to place these animals or even
if it is just a couple of rooms, make their holding rooms areas of refuge.
 |
Your disaster plan should not stop with the interior
of the building. If you do decide to set up an evacuation plan for
some or all of the animals, you should have a plan for a secure
place to keep them outside the building. This raises many other
questions if the animals then must be euthanized or if they can
be returned to the vivarium among other things, but at least you
will have taken a look at the issue and made a decision. Often,
the remorse and sense of pain people feel after loosing animals
is not just because of the loss, but the wondering if there was
anything that could have been done to prevent it. Reviewing these
types of design issues up front might help them feel all was done
that could be done. |
Fire Alarm & Security Issues
• Always on emergency power
• Voice/strobe alarm system
• Zoned evacuation systems
• Access and circulation
• Emergency egress |
 |
Some other things that can be done to assist
in the event of a disaster include the following:
• Ensure your fire alarm and security are always on emergency
power.
• Utilize a voice enunciator instead of horns – it
will be less distressful to the animals and allow for custom messages
to be broadcast.
• The vivarium could have a zoned evacuation system that
allows for some areas to remain populated or to allow for areas of refuge.
• Access and circulation are usually driven by code. One
tip may be to ensure you have not just emergency lighting as required
by code, but make sure you have at least one fixture in each holding
room on emergency power. Many holding rooms do not have windows or if
they do, they have shutters. With emergency lighting only being in the
hallways, it can be very dark in a holding room. That one fixture that
is on e-power could be very comforting when you are by yourself in a
room of primates and the lights go out! But again, these things are
best reviewed during the design phase of a project as they require separate
wiring to a different panel.
Problem #1: Equipment
Failure
 |
• Materials piling up in the cage
wash area
• Overflow into the corridors
• Not enough clean materials to keep up with change schedule
• Increased risk of cross contamination |
In looking at some potential disasters, the first one we will discuss
is what might happen if your processing equipment goes down.
Most of you will have experienced this. You end up with cages piling
up in corridors and stacks of dirty cages in the soiled side cage wash
making it hard to keep the area clean and decontaminated. Another problem
could be not having enough clean cages to keep up with your cage change
schedule.
Solution #1: Throughput and
Staging Analysis
• Evaluate potential maximum throughput
• Plan enough space for equipment during downtime
• Determine amount of storage for clean cages
• Compile information in a spreadsheet |
 |
A solution would be to ensure you have conducted a throughput and staging
analysis for the vivarium.
A properly conducted analysis will not only give you the maximum throughput,
but could also allow you to plan enough space for equipment during downtime
so you don’t have cages in the hallway. It can also give you an
indication of how much clean cage storage you require so that you can
make sure you have enough for any downtime.
The trick is to use the spreadsheet to determine exactly how much downtime
your facility can handle. Obviously, you want to build in as much redundancy
as you can, but the cost of duplicating equipment just for downtime is
often more than an institution can afford. Knowing in advance what your
capacity is allows you to know how much time a piece of equipment can
be down. With this information you can adjust your repair and emergency
service contracts to ensure it is up on time. You may also want to consider
finding out what lead times are on certain components and then keeping
some of those in stock or asking your service provider to do so.
Problem
#2: Disruption Due To Mechanical Failure
 |
• Shutting down a room to repair
a valve
• Coils leaking above holding room ceilings
• Maintenance personnel access to holding room spaces
• Contamination control |
Another kind of disaster could be a leak above a holding room ceiling
from a trim humidifier or something similar. It can force you to shut
down a room and then you have to worry about contamination issues with
maintenance staff, etc.
Solution #2A: Mechanical Above Corridors
• Access to mechanical systems
for holding room are in vivarium corridor
• Reduces disruption in room but still requires vivarium
access by outside personnel |
 |
One possible solution is to put the mechanical areas above the corridors
outside the room. It reduces the disruption in the room but still requires
the maintenance staff to have access to the vivarium.
Solution #2B: Mechanical In Interstice
 |
• Access to mechanical systems for holding
room are on an interstitial floor above or below the vivarium
• Leaks contained and traffic restricted
• Cost of additional floor |
You can place the mechanical components in an interstice above the
holding rooms. This allows for the containment of leaks and allows the
maintenance workers access to boxes and other components without having
to enter the vivarium. The draw back is that it can add cost the project.
Solution #2C: Mechanical Rooms
• Location of mechanical systems in separate
room
• Leaks confined and traffic restricted
• No interstice required |
 |
A third option is to have a separate mechanical room for the controls
and boxes. This doesn’t have to be the same place as the air handling
units. You could simply provide closets off a corridor to store all
of the devices if you wanted. The advantages are that you do not require
an interstice, you still have all maintenance performed outside the
envelop and it typically should not add too much cost to your project.
Problem #3: I Didn’t Think That Could Happen!
• Rooms overheating due to reheat coils failing
in the open position
• Room pressurization changes during HVAC maintenance |
 |
A 3rd type of problem that could occur in a vivarium is associated with
an HVAC failure. It is not uncommon to hear of a room that is over heating
or one that has changed pressurization.
Solution #3: System Failure Analysis
 |
• Identify critical environmental
parameters
• Define failure positions for valves and dampers
• Fan pressurization start and stop sequence |
One way to prevent this from happening is to conduct a system failure
analysis on your building. In the analysis you will identify critical
environmental parameters and set in place monitoring of those parameters.
By defining the failure positions for various devices like dampers and
solenoids, you can ensure that when they fail, they fail in the right
position. This is often the cause of a room overheating; the heating
coil fails but fails in the open position, allowing the temperature
to rise, instead of in the closed position. The same type of situation
can occur with dampers.
Related to the pressurization issue is fan start and stop sequences.
The fans and dampers can be controlled so that in the event a unit was
shut down and it restarts, the dampers will open in a sequence that
ensures the pressure regime in the facility is not compromised.
Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing (MEP)
• Define Critical Systems
• UPS vs. Generator
• Piping & Shut Off Valves
• Domestic & Animal Drinking Water
• Spill Containment |
 |
Reviewing your mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) systems can
be an important part of your disaster plan. The first step would be
to define what your critical systems and areas are within the building
– those that must remain running. These systems should be on emergency
power and have as much redundancy built into them as possible. Some
of the areas to review include UPS and generator systems. It is not
enough just to have them, they must be tested regularly and remember
that it can take as much as 30 seconds for an emergency generator to
come on line. Any equipment requiring uninterrupted power should be
hooked up to either a central or local UPS. In addition, it may be required
to stage the start up of a generator as the circuits could overload
if the whole building came on at the same time. By staging it, the most
critical equipment comes on first, followed a few seconds later by the
remaining equipment.
Piping should come with shut-off valves at locations that allow for
isolation of different lines. For example, their may be a split in a
line allowing for the main water to be shut off while the automated
watering system is not affected. Also, in areas of seismic activity,
seismic valves can be installed that close gas lines as soon as they
detect any activity.
One area people often overlook is spill containment for cagewashing
chemicals. Remember, if you use both an acid and a detergent, having
the 2 concentrates mix could produce an exothermic reaction. In addition,
if the detergent is chlorinated, mixing it with acid could release chlorine
gas. Ensuring the chemicals are secure with appropriate dams or spill
containment is recommended.
Concerns During & After Construction
 |
• Constructability
• Commissioning
• Moving In
• Maintenance |
During and after your construction process, you should take the time
to be involved. There is nothing that can assure the success of a project
more than having the staff involved in the process. Obviously, there
needs to be a balance achieved between the user’s requirements
and those of the contractor and owner facility’s group. If conducted
and managed properly, user input will complement the process, providing
insight into operation aspects of the vivarium that may otherwise be
overlooked.
The details of how the facility gets constructed are as important as
the original design. Commissioning of the building, which should start
during the design phase, is almost a necessity for most vivarium construction
today due to the complex nature of the mechanical systems used. It can
ensure that the building is doing what it should be before you move
into it.
During the move in phase, you will need to take some time to compare
how you thought you would be able to work with what you ended up with.
Sometimes it is not the same. At the least, you should plan on having
drills and other safety procedures to ensure everyone is familiar with
the new vivarium and its operation.
Taking the time to review procedures with your maintenance staff will
be an important step in moving into a new building. It will be just
as new for them as for you and you may be dealing with new or different
maintenance staff.
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