The Role of Facility Management in Public Schools

How do Life Safety Codes Impact Operations

Presentation by:George H. Brens

Director of Buildings & GroundsBatavia Public Schools

Health/Life Safety Code for Public Schools

• Sets forth responsibilities of Local School Boards and Regional Superintendents.

• Defines the requirements that all school buildings must conform with.

• Identifies records that the District must keep.

Health/Life Safety Code for Public Schools

• Establishes procedures that must be followed for construction of school facilities.

• Outlines the process of inspecting all school buildings.

• Provides direction for addressing violations.• Sets guidelines for the use of Fire Prevention

and Safety funds.

Where do they come from?

• Illinois Administrative Codes• Part 185 (prior to 7/1/1965)

• Part 175 (from 7/1/1965 to 3/24/1995)

• Part 180 (3/24/1995 to current)– References BOCA codes (now International Building Code)

• Over 25 individual code sources referenced in the Health/Life Safety Handbook

• Each code enforcement authority cites dozens of more codes that are applicable

How do we know if our buildings are in compliance?

• Annual inspections by the Regional Office of Education

• Ten Year Safety Survey Report

• Illinois Department of Labor inspections

• Annual inspections by P&C insurance carrier

• Inspections by local fire department officials

Annual Inspections

• Purpose– The primary purpose of an annual inspection

is to ensure that schools are minimally safe, sanitary, and fit for occupancy.

• Frequency– By law, all public schools must be inspected

at least once a year by the Regional Office of Education.

Annual inspections by the Regional Office of Education

• Mandated by the Illinois School Code– 31 different areas of concern

• As many as 10 code requirements identified for each category

• Three different sets of codes could apply

– School districts must report status of violations to the ROE by the end of June of each year.

– The ROE must report the status of all violations cited to the State Board of Education each year.

What happens if we don’t correct the violations?

– The regional superintendent can order a school board to adopt and submit a plan for the immediate correction of violations that are identified as urgent and are not corrected in a timely manner.

– If the regional superintendent determines in the next annual inspection that the plan has not been completed the regional superintendent shall submit a report to the State Board of Education with a recommendation that the State Board withhold from payments of general State aid due to the district an amount necessary to correct the violations. This amount shall be paid to the regional superintendent who shall contract on behalf of the school board for the correction of the outstanding violation.

How can we possibly pay for this!

Health Life Safety Funding

Health/Life Safety Amendments

18 step process

Requires approval from both the Regional Superintendent and the State Superintendent

Ask the taxpayers for money

How do we ensure that our buildings are in compliance?

• Conduct internal inspections on a regular schedule.– Fire Drills– Institute days– Non-attendance days

• Conduct random unannounced inspections

What does a violation look like?

Do not assume it will never happen to you.

• Always consider “What if it happened here?”

• What would you say to the media, in a court of law, or worst of all, to the parents of a child who was injured or died as a result of unsafe conditions in one of your buildings?

How do we keep our buildings in compliance?

• Make sure that your Facility Manager has the authority to ensure that directives are followed.

• Authority to issue directives to building level administrators regarding code issues

• Report issues of non-compliance to the Superintendent

• Report issues of non-compliance to the ROE

How do we make sure that our buildings pass inspection?

• Establish a calendar to be sure that all annual inspections are completed in a timely manner– Bleacher inspections– Elevator inspections– Fire extinguisher inspections– Fire suppression system inspections– Fire alarm system inspections– Sprinkler system inspections– Boiler inspections– Flameproof curtain certificate– Evacuation plans posted– Flammables properly stored

How do you keep track of all of this?

HELP!

Technology

• CMMS – Computerized Maintenance Management System

– Improves• Record keeping• Scheduling• Tracking work orders• Budgeting

How do Life Safety Codes impact Operations and Maintenance?

• Facility managers must be aware of the codes when planning any work that may impact compliance with the codes.– Lack of knowledge of the codes can create

violations that could be costly to correct and jeopardize the integrity of the design of the building.

– Do not assume that contractors are aware of all of the codes that impact school buildings.

How can you be sure that your staff is aware of code requirements?

• Training for existing staff.– District administration must make this a priority– Maintenance staff should be aware of code

requirements– Training should extend to building level staff

• Review general code requirements at least annually with all staff

• Require Head Custodian to accompany the ROE inspector during annual inspections

• Establish criteria to be used when hiring new staff.

The physical environment provided by school facilities plays an

important role in achieving the overall educational objectives of the

school.

Fact:

How can we be sure that we are providing the best physical environment for learning?

Preventative Maintenance

• The organized and planned performance of routine maintenance activities in order to prevent system or production problems from occurring.

• The opposite of deferred or reactive maintenance, which is conducted to correct an existing problem.

Preventative Maintenance Program

• Proactive vs. reactive– Work is planned and scheduled

• More efficient use of time• Parts are replaced before failing

– Provides a consistent environment– Decreases the likelihood of other components being

damaged– Reduces the chances that other damage may occur– Avoids the costs related to loss of use

Preventative Maintenance Program

– Makes budgeting more accurate• It is easier to predict how long a task will take• Record keeping makes it possible to more accurately

estimate the cost of replacement parts.• Provides a basis for determining the number of replacement

parts needed over time– Makes purchasing less time consuming– Can provide discounted pricing by purchasing quantities

• Identifies equipment that may need replacement– Tracking the condition of equipment can help predict the

remaining life and document the need to budget for replacement

– Evaluation of operating and maintenance costs provides a basis for determining whether or not replacement makes more sense than continuing to make repairs

Preventative Maintenance Program

• Reduce energy costs– Equipment runs more efficiently– Fewer trips for supplies

• Extends life of equipment

• Ensures compliance with codes and standards

What is this going to cost?

The better question is:

‘What is it going to cost if we don’t do this?’

Deferred Maintenance costs BIG $$

• A faulty relay can cause your HVAC system to run 24/7 wasting thousands of dollars before the next utility bill shows that something is wrong.

• A bad bearing in a pump that is not noticed can destroy the pump causing not only an expensive replacement cost but the loss of use of that space until the pump can be replaced.

• If the pump were to fail on a Friday night in the middle of January….

Energy Management Program

• Energy costs are a Major Component of the School Facility Budget– Small percentage of overall budget– Much higher proportion of your ‘manageable’

budget

• Energy costs represent on average 16% of a District’s controllable costs.

Managing energy costs

• Manage the cost of energy

• Manage the use of energy

• O & M programs that target energy efficiency can save 5% to 20% on energy bills without a significant capital investment.

Many school districts have been decreasing funding for O&M.

O&M Budget as a Percent of Total District Expenditures

9.55% 9.59% 9.40%9.09% 9.03%

8.50%

7.78%7.43%

7.70% 7.51%

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

As reported in American School & University Magazine: April 2005

Don’t be penny-wise and pound-foolish!

Budget reductions have a serious negative impact on O&M

• Reductions in funding and staffing creates a significant backlog of deferred maintenance.

• This will catch up with you and will cost many times over what it would have cost to maintain the facility.

Budget reductions have a serious negative impact on O&M

• The cost of building new buildings is escalating rapidly

• The cost of energy is skyrocketing

• The number of students with environmentally sensitive physical conditions is increasing

Facilities Condition Assessment

• Identify

• Estimate

• Prioritize

• Provide funding

Referendum

• FCA gives strong basis for requesting additional funds for operations

• Shows the community that the Board of Education is doing it’s homework

• The community must see that the Board of Education is a good steward of the community’s assets

School Boards must recognize the need to properly maintain

School Facilities