Practical Facilities Tips, News & Advice.
Once students leave campus, the window opens for projects that are impossible to complete safely or efficiently during the academic year. Empty halls and classrooms create the perfect environment for overhauls and cosmetic updates. The big challenge here is often identifying which projects to prioritize. While every campus has unique needs, facilities managers should aim […]
As we recently closed out Building Safety Month in May, it served as a great reminder for facilities managers to evaluate their passive fire protection systems. While active systems like sprinklers and alarms often get the spotlight, passive defenses—specifically fire door assemblies—are equally important for compartmentalizing smoke and flames to save lives. Over the past […]
Walk into almost any K‑12 school in America, and you’ll see evidence of intent: secured or restricted vestibules, posted check-in procedures, and safety guidelines on the wall. But walk in during the middle of a busy afternoon, and you’ll probably see something different: a door that’s been propped open, a visitor wandering past an unattended […]
Editor’s note: FM Perspectives are industry op-eds. The views expressed are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect those of Facilities Management Advisor. The morning looks like any other: elevators moving, tenants badging in, the lobby filling with familiar faces. Then—gunfire erupts in the lobby. Security scrambles for their radio. By the time 911 confirms, chaos has […]
Your organization operates in a world where threats come from multiple angles and the damage from any kind of physical or cyber breach can be significant and long-lasting. Every facility visit, every meeting, and every interaction, physical or virtual, carries its own unique security and compliance implications and risk. Because of that, your organization cannot […]
The Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Center at Texas State University has published new research in partnership with the Security Industry Association (SIA) that examines school safety in the United States and how schools can prevent, mitigate, and reduce the impact of active shooter events. The study, titled “The Role of Locked Doors and Access Control in School-Based […]
Video surveillance systems are evolving from passive recording to cloud-native AI-powered systems that provide risk detection, notification, and real-time information for facilities managers. The cloud and artificial intelligence are essential to this transformation, enabling remote access, ongoing updates, custom searches, and business-specific reports. These new capabilities create both opportunity and tension. While AI cloud-based systems […]
Hospitals face unique physical security challenges stemming from their complex layouts and round-the-clock operations. Unlike traditional office buildings, healthcare facilities must balance stringent access control with the need for rapid emergency response. Facilities managers can protect staff, patients, and assets through strategic, budget-conscious security measures that address the sector’s distinct vulnerabilities without compromising operational efficiency. […]
Spanning three countries and 16 host cities, the 2026 FIFA World Cup is rife with unprecedented circumstances and inherent logistical challenges that will arguably make it the most complex and vulnerable security climate of any public sporting event ever. At the heart of the 2026 FIFA World Cup is the stadiums where the matches will […]
For facilities managers, disruption rarely arrives in a single form. It may begin with a fuel delivery that costs more than expected, a delayed shipment of materials, a piece of equipment that is suddenly harder to replace, or a site incident that interrupts the day’s plan before crews are fully underway. In today’s uncertain environment, […]