Steve Freihon/Related-Oxford
New York, New York
Key Insights for Facilities Managers
August 12, 2025
Thornton Tomasetti
Key Takeaways
- Detailed Risk Assessment - Facility managers should identify critical systems and assess backup power needs, including load size and time to ensure safety during outages.
- Power Loss Framework - Evaluate exposure (outage likelihood), sensitivity (impact on critical systems), and adaptive capacity (backup system reliability and team coordination) to manage power loss risks.
- Post-Event Review - After major events, review backup power performance with stakeholders to identify improvements, potentially adding standby generators for critical systems.
From extreme weather events to power grid instability, facility managers need to be ready to deal with the unexpected. Evaluating critical systems and having back-up plans in place can make the difference between a temporary disruption and a serious failure.
In a recent FacilitiesNet/NFMT article, "Risk Assessment: What Facility Managers Must Consider," Thornton Tomasetti Principal Elisa Paone and Senior Project Director Barbara Gao share practical strategies for assessing risk and developing a framework for building operational resilience.
Principal Elisa Paone (left) and Senior Project Director Barbara Gao (right)
Thornton Tomasetti
After each significant event, a meeting of key players should be assembled to review the backup power response and discuss areas that require improvement. In some cases, although an emergency generator may not be required, a standby generator may be desired in order to keep critical building systems operational throughout a long-term loss of power.
Building resilience requires not just equipment, but planning, testing and cross-functional collaboration. This framework helps organizations proactively manage power loss risk and ensure operational continuity during unplanned outages.