Integrating FM Staff and the BMS

Most critical facilities demand continuous operations for extended periods typically measured in years if not decades. One characteristic of many successful critical facility management organizations is the interdependence and integration of the functions and capabilities of the facilities staff and the site building management system (BMS) and other associated monitoring & control systems. One of the most important functions of the facilities staff is to monitor and verify that the BMS and related control systems perform correctly and to initiate manual intervention when control systems fail. BMS systems and their site-specific deployment varies greatly across facilities in general. Some are designed for basic monitoring and control with only the most critical parameters being monitored/controlled such as equipment on/off status and “summary” alarm monitoring. On the other extreme, BMS systems can acquire massive data from connected equipment and sensors to the point where operating staff can be affected by “information overload”. The best practice isn’t one vs the other, but a well thought out strategy that matches the site staff resources and capabilities with the deployed system. Likewise, the BMS can provide some oversight of the overall performance of the site staff. An obvious example would be when the BMS alarms when site staff initiate erroneous actions such as operating the wrong breaker or valve. Facilities should consider and strategize how to best deploy and manage their facilities staff in conjunction with the site monitoring and control systems. Both are indispensable in meeting the challenge of providing continuous operations. In some cases, the staff supplement the capabilities of the BMS and vice versa, and in other aspects they provide oversight and performance measurement of the other’s effectiveness including intervening when the human or BMS actions fail.