On Friday. November 14, the IFMA Boston education committee organized a hands-on, instructor lead educational seminar at the FM Global SimZone in Norwood, Mass.
FM Global, a leader in real estate insurance, has been on the forefront of research in matters that affect the safety and integrity of buildings. They follow the simple wisdom that the majority of loss - is preventable. FM Global believes that, if buildings were constructed more soundly, they would be better equipped to withstand environmental and manmade hazards.
The SimZone, is a facility that FM Global created to teach its own technical staff on what to look for in the construction, and maintenance of properties. It is a series of multi discipline labs in which students are given practical field knowledge on construction methods and maintenance best practices.
Those attending this seminar were given practical field knowledge of boiler rooms, fire protection systems, wall systems, roofing technologies, electrical room safety, and best practices for hazardous material stowage. The FM Global instructors guided the attendees through a variety of real life circumstances - and explained carefully the safety variables in each approach or response.
All who participated walked away with an extraordinary degree of practical knowledge and felt that the 3 hour commitment provided them with a far better understanding of their buildings and most importantly, the decisions and choices that they could make in shaping safety for the occupants they are charged to protect.

Joe Flynn, CFM, LEED AP, is past president of IFMA Boston and is a senior associate and workplace strategist at Margulies Perruzzi Architects, Boston.