The Austin IFMA Newsletter
March 2003
By Priscilla Dannemiller

February Meeting

February's meeting began with Linda Delmas encouraging all of our guests to briefly introduce themselves. We had a great turn out with quite a few guests.

The annual Joint Luncheon for BOMA, IREM, CIC, etc. will be held on May 9, 2003. Congressman Carter will be speaking and Mike Rollins will be Master of Ceremonies. More information will follow in next month's newsletter.

The March Meeting will be a Round Table discussion. The meeting will be at 11:30 a.m. on March 13th. Please RSVP by March 10th.

Our speaker at the February meeting was Patrick Flynn of Flynn Construction, Inc. Patrick's presentation covered the dynamics of clean rooms and lab programming. If you are not familiar with clean rooms, which I was not, it might help to know who uses them? Microelectronics manufacturing uses clean rooms for particle control. Pharmaceutical and medical devices, as well as food manufacturing, are concerned with bacteria and bio-contamination control. Clean rooms allow you to control the elements in an environment.

There are quite a few steps to planning and programming a clean room. One of the most important of which is making sure your building facility allows you to perform the work you need the clean room for in the first place. Check into building facility requirements, protocols, and more before you even think of signing that lease. You probably want to refer to a professional clean room consultant and broker before selecting your site. For the entire building process you would want to also include an architect, engineer and contractor.

The current trend is headed away from clean room environments and going towards labs. Clean rooms are designed to take particles away, while some labs try to contain particles. Did you know people are the biggest contaminants in a clean room? Perfume, makeup and food are the main culprits. For more information concerning clean rooms or lab programming, please feel free to contact Patrick Flynn, Flynn Construction, Inc. at (512)440-7643 or email

Education Update

Try as we might, the Board and Education Committee have not been able to make a go of a worthwhile education program for IFMA members. The reason is twofold: good teachers are hard to come by because everyone is so busy in their daily lives and work. In an effort to stimulate interest, a study group or groups has been suggested, and Glenda Stubbs has generously offered Trilogy's offices as a location to host a free study group with outlines and topics in which you are interested. This type of format would work just as well in someone's home. We have had only a couple of affirmative responses to this suggestion, but perhaps there are more of you interested than we know. If so, please e-mail your interest or any suggestions to our chapter. We will put you in touch with the other members who are also interested.

A brief note on the CFM Review Course. Though the Board approved funds for a Review Course for those in the Steps Program, several in the Program did not feel confident enough to take the Review Course, and many others missed most of the Steps courses or started late in the program. In view of this, the Board and the Education Committee felt that it would not be worthwhile to spend the money required to bring a qualified instructor to Austin for only a couple of individuals. It was in this light that we tried to bring about furthering the Steps classes. We invite any who want to participate in teaching a true "curriculum" to e-mail your interest to our chapter. so we might contact you.

2003 Austin IFMA Golf Tournament -- Title sponsor
:

The 2003 Austin IFMA Golf Tournament will be held Monday, April 28, 2003, at the Nicklaus designed Hills of Lakeway. Conditions are expected to be superb since the Kinko's Senior PGA plays there the following week!  This years sponsored charity will be Meals on Wheels.  There will be a 1:30 shotgun start with boxed lunches served before.  Dinner will be served afterwards.  Anyone interested in becoming a golf tournament sponsor may email Charles Dixon, the Golf Tournament Chairman.

Update: We are about 2/3 of the way towards attaining sponsors for the tournament. We still need sponsors and team applications, including payment. Available sponsor levels are shown below. Also, anyone who would like to donate items for the goody bags to be handed out to each golfer may contact Nancy Baroody for further information. We would need at least 100 of the item you wish to donate.

**highlighted sponsor levels are still available!

Announcements

   MOVES, ADDS & CHANGES: Linda Delmas, currently of Furniture Marketing Group, is changing companies. Her new position will be with TechCenterDesign, Inc., a local woman-owned company dealing in furniture for the control room/command center environment. TechCenterDesign is also a dealer for the Systems Furniture manufactured by Inscape known as Platform. New information to reach Linda is: 407-8447 office; 407-8446 fax; linda@techcenterdesign.com

Good luck Linda!

  National Instruments has been nominated for an award in "Excellence in Commercial Buildings" for the new 361,000 sf R&D building, category of "Office Building." The team members included in this award nomination are:

Mike Walker           National Instruments, Director of Facilities 
Sharon Henson        National Instruments, Facilities Manager 
Steve Smith             National Instruments, Superintendent of Maintenance 
Ellen Matson           National Instruments, International Facilities Manager

Greg Jenkins           White Construction, Vice President 
Larry Ward            White Construction, Superintendent

Jim Susman            STG Partners, Principal in Charge 
Tim Pellowski        STG Partners, Associate

Congratulations!

New Members, Welcome!

Lawrence Flynn	President and Owner of Flynn Construction, Inc.
Thomas Collins	Chairman and CEO of TECOM, Inc.
Peter Varga	Deputy Director of Operations of Capital Area Food Bank of Texas
Chrys Reinhardt	Affiliated Telephone Austin, Inc.
Katherine Wheeler	Plant Interscapes, Inc.
Gregg Sellers	3V Company

Need information for a potential new member? Please contact Nancy Baroody of the Membership Committee.

Who's who in Austin IFMA?

Just for fun, here are some current member photos from the February meeting.

  Chuck Coffman with Move Solutions Ltd.

  Jack Sauer with Sears, Roebuck & Company

  Kelly Quinney with JPM Enterprises; also Communications Chairman for Austin IFMA

Suggested Guidance on Protective Measures Under Code Orange

The National Infrastructure Protection Center (NIPC) at the FBI has provided the following to the Real Estate Roundtable for general distribution within the Real Estate sector. NIPC, which will soon become part of the new Department of Homeland Security, is chartered to provide timely, accurate, actionable warnings of infrastructure threats and attacks.

National Infrastructure Protection Center HOMELAND SECURITY INFORMATION UPDATE Suggested Guidance on Protective Measures Information Bulletin 03-002 February 7, 2003

As recipients were advised, the Homeland Security Advisory System (HSAS) was raised to High (Orange) from Elevated (Yellow) on 2/7/03. This communication provides critical infrastructure owners/operators suggested guidance for developing protective measures based on this heightened threat condition. This communication also provides potential indicators of threats involving weapons of mass destruction.

PART I: GENERAL PROTECTIVE MEASURES 
In addition to continuing all precautions from the lower threat condition (Yellow), the following general protective measures may be utilized. Recipients are advised to take other appropriate steps, in conjunction with local conditions, policies, and procedures. The list that follows is not intended to be exhaustive, but merely illustrative:

-- coordinate necessary security efforts with Armed Forces or law enforcement agencies 
-- take additional precautions at public events 
-- review contingency plans to work at an alternate site or with a dispersed work force 
-- review plans to restrict access to facilities.

PART II: SPECIFIC PROTECTIVE MEASURES FOR INFRASTRUCTURE OWNERS/OPERATORS AT HIGH CONDITION (ORANGE)

-- announce threat condition high (orange) to all employees. 
-- consider full or partial activation of emergency operations center. 
-- review policy and plans relating to restricting access to critical facilities and infrastructure 
-- conduct periodic inspections of building facilities and HVAC systems for potential indicators/irregularities 
-- direct people to the Red Cross website for further review of protective measures for families and businesses. 
-- enhance security at critical facilities. 
-- institute/increase vehicle, foot and roving security patrols. 
-- implement random security guard shift changes. 
-- increase visibility in and around perimeters by increasing lighting and removing or trimming vegetation. 
-- implement stringent identification procedures to include conducting "hands on" checks of security badges for all personnel, if badges are required. 
-- remind personnel to properly display badges, if applicable, and enforce visibility 
-- rearrange exterior vehicle barriers to alter traffic patterns near facilities 
-- arrange for law enforcement vehicles to be parked randomly near entrances and exits 
-- approach all illegally parked vehicles in and around facilities, question drivers and direct them to move immediately. If the owner can not be identified, have vehicle towed by law enforcement 
-- if possible, institute a vehicle inspection program to include checking under the undercarriage of vehicles, under the hood, and in the trunk. Provide vehicle inspection training to security personnel 
-- instruct citizens to report suspicious activities, packages and people, and report all suspicious activity immediately to local law enforcement. 
-- x-ray packages, if possible, prior to entry, and inspect handbags, and briefcases, if possible 
-- encourage personnel to avoid routines, vary times and routes, and pre-plan with family members and supervisors 
-- validate vendor lists for all routine deliveries and repair services. 
-- restrict vehicle parking close to buildings. 
-- inspect all deliveries and consider accepting shipments only at offsite locations 
-- require identification, sign-in, and escorts for visitors 
-- instruct people to be especially watchful for suspicious or unattended packages and articles either delivered or received through the mail 
-- send a public information officer to the state joint information center 
-- install special locking devices on manhole covers in and around critical infrastructure facilities 
-- initiate a system to enhance mail and package screening procedures (both announced and unannounced) 
-- review current contingency plans and if not already in place, develop and implement procedures for receiving and acting on: threat information, alert notification procedures, terrorist incident response procedures, evacuation procedures, shelter in place procedures, bomb threat procedures, hostage and barricade procedures, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) procedures, consequence and crisis management procedures, accountability procedures and media procedures.

PART III: POTENTIAL INDICATORS OF THREATS INVOLVING WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION (WMD)

-- unusual/suspicious packages or containers, especially those found in unlikely or sensitive locations, such as those found near air intake/HVAC systems or enclosed spaces 
-- unusual powders or liquids/droplets/mists/clouds, especially found near air intake/HVAC systems or enclosed spaces 
-- signs of tampering or break-in to a facility or maintenance/utility area 
-- reports of suspicious person(s) or activities, especially those involving sensitive locations within or around a building 
-- dead animals/birds, fish, or insects 
-- unexplained/unusual odors. Smells may range from fruity/flowery to sharp/pungent, garlic/horseradish-like, bitter almonds, peach kernels, and new mown grass/hay 
-- unusual/unscheduled spraying or discovery of spray devices or bottles

The NIPC encourages individuals to report information concerning suspicious activity to their local FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) office,  the NIPC, or to other appropriate authorities. Individuals can reach the NIPC WATCH AND WARNING UNIT at (202) 323-3205, tol1 free at 1-888-585-9078, or by email.