1. Managing risk: NFPA 99 Standard for Health Care Facilities
NFPA 99 Standard for Health Care Facilities was released as a first edition in 1984, the current edition in 2005, and the next edition is due in 2010. It covers electrical, gas/vacuum, and environmental systems for healthcare facilities, including hospitals, laboratories, nursing homes, and limited care facilities. Here’s a synopsis and update on NFPA 99.
Go to Story...

2. Understanding NFPA's Standard 90A for HVAC
Mastering the National Fire Protection Assn. (NFPA) 90A, “Standard for the Installation of Air Conditioning and Ventilating Systems,” can be daunting. Here are some tips: divide the work, define the HVAC system, integrate all systems, and plan the sequence of operation.
Go to Story...

Sponsor

3. ARI merges with GAMA
Members with the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI) and the Gas Appliance Manufacturers' Assn. (GAMA) voted to approve the merger of the two trade associations to represent the interests of cooling, heating, and commercial refrigeration equipment manufacturers. The merger will directly benefit members by creating a single, influential entity to more effectively represent their interests, while continuing the work of both associations in establishing industry standards.
Go to Story...

4. Book provides valuable info on AEC law
The AEC industry now has a targeted resource for learning pertinent legal principles. Cengage Learning announces the release of Construction Law for Managers, Architects, and Engineers, by Nancy J. White. This book focuses on the critical area where law and construction cross. This includes labor law, contracts, property law, and insurance. The book offers successful and unsuccessful legal strategies, helping the reader see the consequences of ideal managerial practices. The book also offers real-world examples that apply the concepts and strategies.
Go to Story...

5. For more building codes, standards, and legislation news, click here.

Announcements
Ask the experts! Every month, we ask a distinguished panel of experts for information about how to best solve your problems, challenges, and new engineering issues. Our M/E Roundtable discussion asks a variety of questions on a topic, and then has the experts provide details about how to handle the challenge. We’ll ask the experts your questions, and whenever appropriate, print them in the magazine and post them here.

Enter your product today! Did your company release a new product in 2007? If so, enter it in the Product of the Year Awards program. Increase your product’s visibility, create sales leads, and get the recognition you deserve. Entries are due Feb. 15, 2008.

Webcasts
Archived Webcasts
Originally Broadcast December 6, 2007	National Electric Code for Generators If you are a design, sales or consulting engineer, you do not want to miss this! On Thursday, December 6 at 1:00pm CST Consulting-Specifying Engineer and Generac Power Systems, Inc. will be conducting an approximately 90 minute Webcast titled, “National Electric Code for Generators.” You will not only earn continuing education units, but also gain a greater understanding of how the NEC addresses all of the issues associated with generators. The NEC plays an integral role in your profession so register now, it will be time well spent! Register Today! If you are busy that day, register anyway and view the archived event at your convenience.
Originally Broadcast November 29, 2007	Engineering and Commissioning High-Tech Green Buildings High-tech buildings, which include data centers, research laboratories, and clean rooms are energy intensive, uptime critical, and very specialized in terms of materials that can be used for construction. These parameters present very difficult decisions regarding sustainability. How green can these buildings really go? Register Here!
Originally broadcast September 20, 2007	Specifying the Right Links: Emergency Power for Data Centers Whether it’s the New York Stock Exchange or the local branch bank, lending institutions or casinos—in fact, for any facilities that handles key financial data—100% uptime is a must. And when there is a power event, this kind of reliability depends on a seamless system of transferring power from primary to backup systems. In this Webcast, we take a close-up look at the design technical details of switching from utility to on-site standby power and coordinating all the equipment in an emergency power system to protect vital data. Watch this webcast now!
Originally broadcast June 21, 2007	How to Address Integration and Interoperability for Campus Mass-Notification Systems The catastrophic events at Virginia Tech demonstrated that regardless of a campuses size or complexity, command and control needs to be highly centralized, widely coordinated, and immediately responsive. The need to integrate fire, life-safety, security, evacuation, and emergency notification systems in many building environments has surged, and CSE is proud to present security-system expert William Sako, executive vice president, RJA, as the instructor for this how-to Webcast. Watch this webcast now!
Click HERE for a complete list of our upcoming live and archived on demand webcasts.