Students and staff help save janitor’s life

SAGINAW, MI — Members of the Martin G. Atkins Elementary School staff are credited with helping save custodian Fred Cruz's life earlier this week, according to the Saginaw News.

Students on the way to Martin G. Atkins Elementary School found Cruz lying on his back near the entrance incapacitated with the motor of the snowblower he was operating still running, the story stated.

After students notified staff members of the incident, Cruz was quickly brought into the building and had cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) performed on him, the story noted.

Martin G. Atkins Elementary School Principal Chuck Lesser said: "They thought he slipped and fell and they were expecting him to get back up, but when he didn't get back up, they notified [school employee] Pam Brill, who paged me. We followed the directions that came with the automated external defibrillator (AED), and we shocked [Cruz's chest] with it, and then myself and several staff members started performing CPR."

Cruz, who was in critical condition at the time of press, is being treated at Covenant HealthCare's Cooper Campus for an apparent heart attack, the story added.

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Couple sues hotel after contracting Legionnaires' disease

MCHENRY, IL – Albert and Judith Kooi of Allegan County, Michigan, filed a lawsuit last week against the McHenry Hampton Inn for an unnamed amount of damages after the husband contracted Legionnaires' disease after using the hot tub in May 2008, according to the Northwest Herald.

According to the story, officials from the State Health Department had samples taken from the spa in May of 2008 that tested positive for the bacteria and the hotel subsequently had the spa drained and cleaned.

Legionnaires' disease, which is contracted after breathing mist or vapor contaminated with Legionella bacteria, has pneumonia-like symptoms that can be treated in most cases with antibiotics, the story stated.

The lawsuit alleges that Albert Kooi incurred medical bills for treatment and suffered pain and mental anguish, the story added.

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Irish hospital uses copper to combat MRSA

MULLINGAR, Ireland — St. Francis Private Hospital is the first in the world to use copper doorknobs to prevent methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other infectious "superbugs," according to the Irish Independent.

According to the story, Noeleen Sheridan, general manager of the hospital, decided to install over 100 doorknobs after a University Hospital Birmingham study that copper on surfaces could reduce contamination by 90 to 100 percent.

Sheridan said: "Our decision to specify anti-microbial copper products is based on this conviction and the compelling evidence from the Birmingham clinical trial."

A spokesperson for the Health Service Executive said that it will consider the merits of copper surfaces — as it does with any health technology innovation — in due course, the story added.

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College arts building certified LEED Gold

ALBANY, NY — The Massry Center for the Arts, the newly constructed 46,000-square-foot building at The College of Saint Rose, has been awarded the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, according to the Times Union.

According to the story, the building is 48 percent more energy efficient than a conventional building, and has such green features as geothermal heating, recycled building materials and automatic dimming lights.

State Assemblyman Jack McEneny said: "This is a building that every day, like the college itself, teaches us what the future can be."

The cost of the construction was $14 million, and the The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority contributed about $150,000 towards the geothermal system, the story added.

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Purdue receives grant towards building performance research center

LAFAYETTE, IN — Purdue University has received a $12 million federal grant towards the creation of the Center for High Performance Buildings, according to Journal & Courier.

According to the story, the building, which will replace the 50-year-old Herrick Labs, will cost $23.5 million to construct.

James Braun, a mechanical engineering professor at Purdue, said: "It is really a center that would have faculty from architectural engineering, mechanical engineering, human response and other areas."

Buildings are responsible for about 40 percent of the energy use, 71 percent of electricity consumption and 38 percent of carbon dioxide emissions nationwide, the story added.

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Burj Khalifa to use sustainable facility management

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest and arguably most technically advanced building, will utilize ProTeus, a facility maintenance manage system developed by Eagle Technology, integrated with Johnson Controls Inc. building management system Metasys to oversee all maintenance of the massive structure, according to a press release.

According to the release, the system will track the maintenance needs and costs, including parts and labor spent on the facility and its equipment.

This tracking system will lead to more energy efficient maintenance as well as lower operating costs, the release stated.

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New Jersey DEP outsourcing cleanup of toxic sites

TRENTON, NJ — The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has decided to change the way it addresses the cleanup of polluted sites by outsourcing the work to licensed environmental consultants, according to The Press of Atlantic City.

According to the story, the DEP hopes this method, modeled after the system currently in place in Massachusetts, will be more efficient in tackling the thousands of polluted sites than the current system, in which 200 case managers oversee each cleanup individually.

A 1998 audit of the Massachusetts system found that consultants were able to clean up 14 times as many contaminated sites, the story stated.

State Senator Jeff Van Drew said: "There were literally thousands of sites remediated in Massachusetts. Quite frankly, the DEP does not have the staff to do it — nor do I want the state to hire more people. We don’t need to be expanding government. Once the system starts moving, there will be a tremendous number of sites fixed."

So far, 245 consultants have been approved through the very extensive licensing process, and small or medium toxic sites will see the most benefit from this new system, the story added.

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