IN CASE OF EMERGENCY…

As the first anniversary of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita approach, mission-critical facilities around the country, from the hurricane-prone Gulf Coast to the earthquake- and flood-prone Bay Area of California are keenly aware of the challenges they face in keeping services running during and after such devastating events. Architects and engineers are working with hospitals to ensure that they can withstand the powerful force of storms and other events, but an additional challenge is clear: How can facilities ensure that they will operating at an acceptable level even when power outages strike?

The new Cutler-Hammer brand Generator Quick Connect Switchboard, from Eaton Corporation, is designed to allow for safe and fast connection of a mobile generator to electrical systems or portable load banks at power-critical facilities such as hospitals, schools and municipal buildings.

Power outages resulting from anything ranging from aging electrical systems to natural disasters and other emergencies do not have to lead to loss of systems like climate control, data systems, or food services — applications that are not always directly supported by on-site backup generation. This switchboard aims to bring additional back-up generation on line to support applications that are not immediately critical, but are nevertheless sometimes crucially important in the event of emergencies and disasters.