The Great Blackout of 2003: What Have We Learned?

On Aug. 14, 2003, 50 million electrical power customers were suddenly without power in the northeastern United States, parts of the Midwest, and southeastern Canada—and it wasn’t a short-term power event. Although it didn’t affect as many people as the blackout in Italy in the same year, outage-related losses were estimated at $6 billion. But the real significance for owners and the consulting engineers who serve them is what happens in individual facilities. How do we design and commission backup power systems to prepare for the big one? On July 24, 2008, Consulting-Specifying Engineer and Pure Power magazines will mark the fifth anniversary of the Great Blackout by taking an in-depth look at designing and commissioning emergency power systems for long-term ride-through. This won’t be a superficial discussion of widespread power outages and what causes them. During this one-hour webcast, a panel of engineering experts will present a definitive how-to on various emergency power strategies, with a discussion of cost versus benefits. Attendees will come away from this webcast strongly confident that they can design and install backup power systems that are right for their customers—and at the right price. This Webcast is free and CEUs are available to all registered attendees.
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Fire Codes, Standards, and Best Practices for Hotels

The hotel construction market remains strong. And though hotel fires are few, constant vigilance is needed by engineers, owners, and public officials to keep old and new hotels safe. This Webcast presented two experienced fire-safety engineers discussing, in detail, recently update codes and standards affecting new and existing hotels. Emphasis was on egress issues and best practices for upgrading alarm and fire panel systems in older hotels. This free, 60-minute event will qualify for 0.1 AIA learning units or 1 professional development hour (PDH).

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