InsideIQ Building Automation Alliance Member Firms Keep Communities Safe During Hurricane San

Dec. 13, 2012 - PRLog -- Employees of CM3 Building Solutions, Inc., based in Fort Washington, Pa., and Technical Building Services (TBS) in Allendale, N. J., braved the onslaught of Hurricane Sandy to address serious issues related to power, heating, air quality and operations at customer sites in four states. Members of the InsideIQ Building Automation Alliance, an international alliance of independent building automation contractors, the two companies serve customers in Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, some of whom were hit hard when Hurricane Sandy assaulted the Northeast in October. During the storm, employees from CM3 and TBS corrected problems and maintained operations at critical facilities, such as emergency shelters, a hospital, a school, a sewage plant and a 911 control center.

A wide range of support included:

•   County Facilities, Delaware County Pennsylvania: CM3 maintains several county facilities in Pennsylvania, including the 911 Center and the Fair Acres geriatric center in Delaware County, where it was vital to maintain proper control. Kevin Katzmire and Tom White of CM3 worked overnight at Fair Acres Geriatric Center, serving as emergency maintenance support in the event of any problems. At the same time, Anthony Klassis and Ryan Perrucci of CM3 worked overnight at the 911 Center as emergency maintenance support to ensure the emergency center was fully operational throughout the storm.

•   Delaware School Converted to Shelter: After filling with residents who were evacuated during the hurricane, a school district in Delaware could not start up the boilers which heat the shelter space. They called Ron Cooper of CM3 who had been evacuated from his house and relocated to Maryland to wait out the storm. Despite his own predicament, Cooper drove through the Hurricane to the emergency shelter and successfully got the boilers up and running in order for the evacuated residents to have heat.

•   New Jersey Hospital: A major hospital in New Jersey was having communications issues with its VAV units controlling the HVAC system throughout the facility. Jeff Hill of CM3 travelled through the hurricane and successfully troubleshot the VAV issues to get the hospital HVAC system back up and running properly.

•   United Nations International School: This private school in New York City, on the East River one mile south of the United Nations headquarters, lost its signal host computer due to the flooding. Technicians from TBS traveled to Manhattan even though numerous bridges and tunnels were closed and rail service was curtailed. They were able to replace a computer and restore signal host to bring the school’s BAS back online.

•   Atrium Palace Condominiums: This high-rise residential building in Fort Lee, N.J., lost power during the hurricane. Severe fuel shortages in area could have prevented TBS from assisting this customer. But because the TBS office in Ballston Spa, N.Y. was unaffected by the storm, general manager Ed Rockstroh was able to transport a trailer load of fuel to the Allendale office and refuel vehicles. This enabled technicians to travel to Fort Lee and restore the energy management system at the condo tower.

•   Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission: Hurricane Sandy devastated this waste water treatment plant located on the Newark Bay. TBS, as part of a team created by PVSC to make emergency repairs to the plant, was assigned the task of making HVAC equipment temporarily operational. First, multiple boilers, serving roughly 1/3 of the plant, were restored and TBS continues its work to bring more HVAC, the WAN and controls equipment back on line.

“These dedicated employees demonstrated a commitment to their communities that illustrates the best of our industry, and we’re proud to have them on our team,” said Bruce Michelson, President of CM3.

“Throughout the storm and its aftermath, these employees, who were without power and, more importantly, without water at their own homes, continued to report to work to take care of our customers, who are our neighbors as well,” said Gerald Jannicelli, president of TBS.

Mark Balent, president of InsideIQ Building Automation Alliance, said “Thanks to our partners CM3 and TBS hundreds of people had power, heat, and ventilation during and after the storm. We salute them for their dedication to their customers and communities.”  

About InsideIQ
InsideIQ Building Automation Alliance is an organization comprised of 47 independent commercial building and facility automation companies representing common automation and security system platforms. Members specialize in the design and implementation of facilities and process control systems, systems integration, enterprise security systems, facilities maintenance services, energy services, and the representation of other value-added products and services. InsideIQ is the largest independent organization of its kind. Member companies provide consistent applications, coordination, and support for commercial facility owners across North America, Canada and parts of Europe. More information is available online at www.insideiq.org.

About CM3 Building Solutions, Inc.
CM3 Building Solutions provides complete energy services, total building solutions, security, access control, IT services, and component supply to commercial, industrial, institutional, governmental and other types of facilities. It is a privately held corporation serving Eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, and providing energy services to the Eastern United States.

About TBS
Technical Building Services (TBS) is dedicated to providing customers with the full array of reliable and cost-effective services they need to operate safe and comfortable facilities. As a leader in the HVAC and Building Automation Industry, TBS is committed to staying on the cutting edge of new technology and providing its customers with the best products on the market. TBS serves customers in metropolitan New York City, Northern N.J. and Upstate N.Y.