Sep 9 2010
M.C. Dean, Inc., one of the nation’s leading design-build firms, has been selected by MARTA, Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, to upgrade MARTA’s fire protection system.
MARTA will fund the project using $32 million in grants from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
“Having the opportunity to build a world class system for MARTA is exciting for our company,” said Mark Tibbetts, General Manager for M.C. Dean’s regional headquarters in Suwanee, GA.
ARRA federal grants will largely finance the upgrading and enhancing of MARTA’s fire alarm, sprinkler and clean agent suppression systems throughout more than 100 MARTA’s facilities including all 38 rail stations. In addition, M.C. Dean will be replacing MARTA’s various disparate systems with all consistently new systems, that will be networked back to central points of monitoring, providing a means for coordinated response by MARTA Police and local fire departments.
“A critical and important part of MARTA’s mission is to assure that our transit facilities are safe and reliable for the 500,000 metro Atlanta customers we serve every day and for our employees,” said MARTA Deputy General Manager/Chief Operating Officer, Dwight Ferrell.
“MARTA made a great choice when they selected our company. The M.C. Dean fire protection designers and project management team designated to run this project have extensive experience on similar projects at some of the world’s largest transportation and public use facilities,” Tibbetts said. “Also, because we are using local resources operating out of our Suwanee office to engineer, construct, integrate and commission the system, the ARRA grant money is going to be spent locally.”
The majority of MARTA’s fire protection systems were installed during the 1970’s and 80’s in accordance with the governing codes of that time. Since then technology has advanced and fire codes have improved.
“Maintaining old and obsolete systems can reach a point of diminishing returns. As facilities age and assets reach the end of their life cycle, replacement is essential,” said Dave Springstead, MARTA Senior Director of Engineering.
“This new system delivers state of the art technology that vastly improves our ability to detect, suppress, monitor, and centralize communications as well as coordinate all the activities required to run a world class fire protection program,” said Rich Krisak, MARTA Assistant General Manager of Rail Operations & Development.
Source: http://www.mcdean.com/