Practical Facilities Tips, News & Advice.
Give a big round of a-paws for Bolt, an explosives detection canine from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)! The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has named the three-year-old German shorthaired pointer the winner of its 2026 Cutest Canine Contest. The agency uses the annual contest to highlight the important role of security dogs. TSA conducted a […]
During my years as a teacher and school principal, I learned that having an emergency operations plan and being prepared to respond to an emergency are not always the same thing. Most districts have emergency preparedness procedures that include conducting drills, working closely with first responders, and investing time preparing for emergencies. Those efforts certainly […]
Based on responses from retail professionals worldwide, new research shows retailers increasingly view physical security as a business function that supports operations, employee safety, and modernization efforts—not solely loss prevention. According to the 2026 State of Physical Security Report from Genetec, retailers are now using physical security data to improve broader business outcomes. More than […]
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has released the K-12 Cybersecurity Foundations Resource Package, a comprehensive collection of guides, videos, and supplemental materials to help K‑12 schools and districts prevent, mitigate, and respond to prevalent cyber threats. Based on current cybersecurity best practices and frameworks, the resource package outlines cost-effective, actionable, and customizable steps that […]
Retail store theft levels are stabilizing, but external theft and fraud overall continue to rise, according to a new study released by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and the Loss Prevention Research Council. In addition, workplace violence remains a major concern for retailers. The Impact of Theft & Violence 2026 report found that retailers experienced a […]
Every day, thousands of people pass through building entrances without a second thought, until something goes wrong. A malfunctioning door during peak hours isn’t just an inconvenience; it disrupts operations, creates safety risks, and slows critical building flow. For facilities managers overseeing high-traffic environments, such as hospitals, retail centers, corporate campuses, transit hubs, and more, […]
Healthcare facilities are designed to heal people. Yet for many healthcare workers, safety has become an increasingly urgent concern. Hospitals and healthcare campuses today face a complicated environment. Teams are managing higher patient volumes, workforce shortages, increased visitor traffic, and growing concerns around workplace violence. Security leaders are being asked to do more than respond […]
Editor’s note: In this interview with FMA sister publication EHSLeaders, Cooper Briscoe, VP of marketing at Brivo, discusses how AI-powered video intelligence helps organizations get increased value out of existing camera systems. (Edited for clarity) Q: Why hasn’t the prevalence of cameras resulted in improved safety? Briscoe: I think you have to look back at what cameras […]
In a city like Chicago, electrification rarely happens in isolation. Large retrofit projects are almost always delivered in occupied buildings, alongside active operations, and under pressure to modernize multiple systems at once. The projects that succeed understand this from the start. Electrification works best when treated as core infrastructure—the backbone that supports building automation, electric […]
A facilities manager’s day is full of urgent tasks. Managing the visitor log rarely feels urgent. But paper sign-in sheets create small costs that add up over time. First, lost records. Paper gets thrown away, coffee-stained, or torn. If an insurance adjuster asks for a thirty-day visitor history after an incident, a missing page becomes […]