| NEW ST LOUIS COUNTY EMERGENCY CENTER LINKS FIRST RESPONDERS TOGETHER |
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With the strength of a bunker, but the appearance of an ordinary office building, the new St. Louis County Emergency Management Center ensures better management of incidents through the rapid sharing of information among firefighters, emergency medical services (EMS), police, hospitals, public works, and other groups—functions previously housed in many separate facilities across St. Louis. Considering the operational function of the building, it was imperative to make the building envelope impenetrable to natural disasters and blast/ballistics attacks. The cast-in-place concrete, single-story administrative structure with interior steel framing and a concrete deck is wrapped with a brick veneer. The 91-m (300-ft) long façade and 8-m (27-ft) wall housing the main technological component of the building feature strategically placed architectural-grade pre-glazed window systems, designed to withstand 289-km/h (180-mph) winds with an impact from a 6.8-kg (15-lb) 2×4 traveling at 160 km/h (100 mph). Additionally, silicon sealants and tape ensures water does not penetrate. The natural daylight provided by the windows allows staff to work in a somewhat typical workplace environment. The facility is designed to stay in operation for three days on its own power, and is anticipated to be able to survive tornados, earthquakes, and other disasters. |
FEMA provides storm shelter guidance
Another resource for architects and specifiers is the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) P-361, Safe Rooms for Tornadoes and Hurricanes: Guidance for Community and Residential Safe Rooms. A shelter is typically an interior room, space within a building, or an entirely separate building, designed and constructed to protect its occupants from tornadoes or hurricanes. Shelters are intended to provide protection against both wind forces and the impact of windborne debris. The level of occupant protection provided by shelters is intended to be much greater than the protection provided by buildings that comply with the minimum requirements of building codes.
Model codes provide life-safety criteria and, until recently, tornado resistance was not part of the IBC. Various states have begun to incorporate “enhanced protection” criteria into their codes, defining requirements for community safe rooms for Risk Category 3 and 4 structures. Most notable of these is the Sunshine State with its 2014 Florida Building Code.
As posted on the FEMA website:
When safe room designers, operators, and emergency managers implement FEMA’s Recommended Criteria in their projects, they can feel confident that they are using the best available information to guide the design and construction of a safe room (public or private) that provides near-absolute protection from the deadly winds and wind-borne debris associated with extreme-wind events. Additionally, if the safe room is being constructed with FEMA grant funds, adherence to the FEMA Recommended Criteria publication is required.
According to FEMA, there has never been a reported failure of a safe room designed to these standards.
Addressing cost concerns
According to John Farnen, Mercy Hospital Joplin’s vice president of planning, design, and construction, upgrading the new building to a state-of-the-art level of protection added about two percent above its standard design criteria to the total cost of building a new facility. There really is not a code for the construction of an overall hospital. ICC 500 applies to certain aspects, but not an overall assembled facility. For example, the windows meet that standard, but there is no overall rating on the entire exterior. However, Mercy used concrete exterior precast siding, which by itself survived the storm. Mercy mainly took the lessons learned from its existing hospital, considering which materials held up through the storm and tried to use them in the design of the new facility. The designers feel the additional two percent investment was worth it, as life safety is protected and patients can be cared for before, during, and after the storm.
When the many benefits of tornado-resistant glazing are fully taken into consideration, the cost of the project becomes more reasonable compared to standard impact window installation.
Good to read! Tornado resistant proof things are very much necessary in our home so that a home does not get damaged in hurricane prone season. A Homeowner must take care of the things that their home remains safe during hurricane season. One should protect their home by installing storm damage windows and doors and also cover their roof from getting damage. Securing life and home property from a tornado is very much important. Damage that turned after the tornado is most difficult to handle. Everyone who lives in tornado prone areas must register for a home insurance policy as the home insurance policy can cover tornado/hurricane damage. A Home insurance claim adjuster(http://allclaimsusa.com/home-insurance-claim-adjuster) settle down the claim with the insurance company after the hurricane damage.