Henneman’s Expertise in Emergency Power Generation Brings Life Saving Power to Healthcare Facilities

A Conversation with Al Hagen, P.E.

 

When it comes to emergency power systems, healthcare facilities have specific requirements that go beyond commercial buildings.  With many new codes and regulations, healthcare facility owners have come to rely on Henneman’s experience and expertise in this area.  Henneman’s engineering teams are being kept busy designing emergency power generation systems in hospitals and nursing homes around the country.  

Al Hagen, P.E., Senior Electrical Engineer based in Henneman’s Madison, Wisconsin office, has nearly 40 years experience in the engineering field and has been with Henneman for the past six years. Al has designed and upgraded emergency power systems for a variety of healthcare facilities in the Wisconsin area including St. Mary’s Hospital and Meriter Hospital in Madison.

 

Al explains that many hospitals are upgrading existing emergency systems by adding generation capacity to meet National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards.  Article 517 requires hospitals to have three branches of emergency back up including a life safety branch, a critical branch and an equipment branch.  All of these systems are required to protect lives Al says.

“If a patient is having an invasive procedure and the hospital loses power, there must be a back-up power system for life safety and critical purposes,” Al says.

Hospital owners are working with Henneman to add other operational loads to their emergency systems, including air conditioning systems.  While back-up power for heating equipment is a requirement, air conditioning is not.

 

“We are currently working with several healthcare clients to add additional capacity to their generation systems to supply air conditioning,” Al says.

“Hospitals realize that in order to maintain good client relations, patients must be kept comfortable should the hospital lose normal power.”

The Hurricane Katrina tragedy put a lot of focus on how many emergency power systems are not up to required operating condition.  The 2008 National Electric Code added a new Section 708 – Critical Operations Power Systems - to address these types of emergency situations in all first responder facilities including fire, police, and 911 Centers, as well as healthcare facilities.  Many clients are currently upgrading systems to comply with this code section.

“Our job is to help our clients be better prepared for an emergency situation,” Al says.  “We try to look at all the ‘what ifs’ and work closely with healthcare owners to minimize costs while maximizing systems and safety.”  

LEADERSHIP SPOTLIGHT

Dave Mauck, P.E., LEED® AP

Senior Vice President · Director of Dallas Office

Dave Mauck is a seasoned engineer with 36 years of experience. He began his career with Henneman Engineering in 1981 and today is Director of the firm’s Dallas office.
 
Dave spent most of his career in the Midwest before moving to Texas 1-1/2 years ago.  
 
Several things influenced him in his youth to pursue mechanical engineering; seeing the Henry Ford Museum, reading Hot Rod magazines given to him by his uncle, and working on cars as a teenager.
 
Dave received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and an Executive MBA from the University of Illinois.  Since joining Henneman in 1981, Dave has been responsible for a variety of engineering projects including energy life cycle analysis, load calculation, HVAC, specialty piping, fire-protection, and plumbing design for healthcare, educational and industrial facilities.  His experience in master planning and conceptual design for laboratories and healthcare facilities has aided in providing successfully engineered solutions.
 
Dave is a LEED Accredited Professional and is active in the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council.  As Director of the Dallas office, he focuses on business development and works closely with his engineering team on a variety of current projects including a large high-rise mixed-use LEED-Silver project in the Dallas area, along with other projects throughout the country.  
 
Though Dave has been an important part of many of the awards and achievements at Henneman including those from ASHRAE and the Illinois Engineering Council, he says his most rewarding achievement isn’t one particular project or building, but rather mentoring other up and coming engineers.
 
“I have been lucky to hire and mentor several other engineers who have gone on to be much better engineers and leaders than I am.  The highlight is to see how they have grown and become the successful people that they are,” Dave said.
 
A voracious reader, Dave recently completed several books including, “The Shack” and “Can-Am Challenger” and enjoys reading Texas Architect magazine each month as well. 
 
Dave is a member of the Dallas Museum of Art and the Nasher Sculpture Center.   An avid architecture and sports car fan, Dave recently visited Hearst Castle in California and has enjoyed the Monterey Historic Races and the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England.  He also enjoys driving his Corvette on the weekends in the Ozarks. 
 
Sustainable design and Building Information Modeling are the most exciting innovations in the field today Dave says.  “Both sustainability and BIM have really taken off.  They enable engineers and architects in a very positive way to work even closer together. The benefits to our clients and the public at large are tremendous,” he says.
 
Dave is currently working on several projects that involve sustainable design including a building for Marathon Oil that will be LEED-certified.  In addition, Dave and his team are working on various projects throughout the country for the military that will also be LEED-certified and will be produced using Building Information Modeling.
 
Dave’s personal credo is to treat others as you would like to be treated.   This is something he has always strived to do in both his professional and personal life.

Throughout his career, Dave’s mission statement has always been to “provide the best service possible to our clients.”
 
After 36 years in the industry, Dave works to stay fresh and motivated.  “I stay motivated by learning at least one new thing on every project.  It could be learning a new system or a new way to work with our clients.  I think it’s really our unlimited client service that sets Henneman apart.”