such as power outages, natural disasters, virus outbreaks, such as COVID‐19, or manmade incidences. This book facilitates bridging the gap between a critical event, a mission critical engineer, and the critical infrastructure that needs to be in place while working to manage throughout the incident with safety, confidence, and situational awareness.
This text intends to provide the foundations of mission critical infrastructure from an engineering and operations perspective. It should be noted that this book is a work in progress and does not include every detail. It does, however, provide foundational topics as well as more advanced subjects of critical infrastructure that are relevant to society today. Topics such as Reliability, Resiliency, Energy Security, UPS Systems, Standby Generators, Automatic and Static Transfer Switches, Power Quality, Data Center Cooling, Efficiency, Air Flow Management, Fire Systems, Raised Floors, Mission Critical Engineering, Safety, Cyber Security, Electromagnetic Pulse, IoT, Machine Learning, Analytics, and Green Practices are discussed in layman’s terms.
It is imperative that anyone wishing to enter into this mission critical industry has the necessary foundation to operate critical systems with the goal of reducing operational risk, improving safety, and decreasing greenhouse gases. Not having the proper standardized training in place will lead to lost lives and every type of cascading failure due to poor operational decisions and a lack of situational awareness. The purpose of this book is to transition today’s facilities and IT engineers into the growing mission critical industry and properly equip them with resources to deal with the hazards and challenges of a field that is a lynchpin for the reliability and resiliency of our ever‐evolving digital society. In the next 7–10 years, half of our workforce will retire, while the industry will at least double in size. It is imperative that an appropriate knowledge transfer occurs for the next generation engineer who will take over the reins.
I have dedicated my career to providing the means for effective knowledge transfer and an appropriate learning environment through a software platform named SmartWALK®. In addition, I have also developed a customizable learning management system known as SmartTEAM™. SmartTEAM™ creates the foundation of corporate and institutionalized customized training, knowledge transfer, awareness, and methodology through various immersive and collaborative content. This learning environment promotes continuous learning and improvement for professionals in the industry throughout their careers.
To learn more about the accompanying study tools offered, go to https://pmcgroupone.com/ and head over to the Technology tab to find SmartTEAM™. If you would like to make a comment regarding new material for the next edition, please feel free to contact me at the below‐mentioned addresses.
August 2020
Peter M. Curtis Founder | CEO PMC Group One, LLC [email protected]
Acknowledgements
Creating this book could not be possible through the effort of only one person. I have attended various conferences throughout my career, including: AFE, AFCOM, BOMI, Data Center Dynamics, IFMA, 7/24 Exchange, etc. and harvested insight offered by many Mission Critical professionals from all walks of the industry. I am grateful for the professional relationships that were built at these conferences, seminars, and courses that I have taught and contributed to. This allowed the sharing of knowledge, know‐how, information, and experiences upon which this book is based. I am appreciative to IEEE/Wiley for taking on this project almost 20 years ago. The format that initially began as material for their first online educational course transcended into an entire manuscript passionately.
Professionals in the Mission Critical field have witnessed the evolution from a fledgling 40 hour a week operation, into the 24/7 environment that our digital society demands today. The people responsible for the growth and maintenance of the industry have amassed an invaluable cache of knowledge and experience along the way. Compiling this information into a book provides a way for those new to this industry to tap into the years of experience that have emerged since the industry's humble beginnings decades ago.
This book's intended audience includes every business that understands the consequences of downtime and seeks to improve its own operational efficiency, business resiliency, and safety. Reviewed by members of senior management, technicians, vendors, manufacturers, and contractors alike, this book gives a comprehensive, 360‐degrees perspective on the Mission Critical Industry as it stands today. Its importance lies in its use as a foundation toward a seamless transition to the next stages of education and training for the mission critical industry as it as least doubles in size and loses half its workforce during 7–10 years.
I am thankful to the people and organizations for their help, support, and contributions that have enabled this information to be shared with the next generation of mission critical engineers and business continuity professionals. The goal of this book is to provide the best tools and technology to succeed and keep society safe and secure when the unexpected occurs. This only happens with the proper training in which the outcome is situational awareness and confidence when a critical event unfolds.
I am grateful to my wife Belinda‐Leigh for her unwavering support and dedication to my passion and purpose, which is to keep our digital society “Always On” and all people around the globe safe and secure. She has been at my side during the most important and transitionary period of my life, allowing me to intensely focus on Engineering, Technology, Analytics, Research, and Education.
Chapter Contributors
Don Beaty, P.E, DLB Associates (Chapter 11 – Data Center Cooling Systems)
Charles Berry, PMC Group One, LLC (Chapter 10 – UPS Systems & Chapter 12 – Data Center Cooling Efficiency)
Tom Bronack, CBCP (Appendix A – Policies and Regulations)
Dan Catalfu, Tate Access Floors (Chapter 13 – Raised Access Floors)
Howard L. Chesneau, Fuel Quality Services, Inc. (Chapter 6 – Fuel Systems and Design)
George E. Ello, Long Island Power Authority (Chapter 2—Energy Security)
Edward English III, Fuel Quality Services, Inc. (Chapter 6 — Fuel Systems and Design)
Brian K. Fabel, P.E., ORR Protection Systems (Chapter 14 – Fire Protection)
James P. Fulton, PhD., Suffolk Community College (Appendix C – Airflow Management)
John Golde, P.E., Golde Engineering, PC (Chapter 3 – Mission Critical Electrical System Maintenance and Safety)
Walter Phelps, Degree Controls, Inc. (Chapter 12 – Data Center Cooling Efficiency)
Dean Richards, Mitsubishi Electric Power Products (Chapter
