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Planners and administrators at colleges and universities know that their campuses must serve as a portal to the future and that the future includes sustainability and a common sense approach to energy use. Among these priorities is that the design and construction of classrooms, conference halls, libraries, faculty and administration offices, and especially student housing, … Read more
Building management systems have their roots in HVAC. In the late 1800s, as the industrial age started pushing more people into smaller work areas, industrialists began to see the first cases of sick building syndrome—employees becoming ill from breathing stale air and exposure to infectious diseases. Those employees who didn’t get sick were often still … Read more
Facility managers long for a crystal ball that can give them insight into the inner workings of their building or campus. How can they see problems before they happen? How can they save more on energy costs? How can they keep employees safe and healthy and create environments in which they are more productive? The … Read more
Building management systems (BMS) are essential to today’s office buildings, hospitals, colleges, and universities. Once the building is occupied, owners and tenants can save considerable money on energy bills. Buildings are also responsible for as much as 37% of pollutants and greenhouse gases in the US. Hence, reducing that output is essential as the country … Read more
The experts at FICO are playing a pivotal role in Legionella prevention at the VA Hospital in Ft. Harrison, near Helena, Montana. FICO worked with manufacturers of smart sensors for water testing and Armstrong Rada Digital Faucets with Infection Control that automatically flush parts of the plumbing system not used regularly. These are two crucial … Read more
Hospitals pose the ultimate challenge for building management systems (BMS) designers. They have multiple environments, many of which vary considerably in air quality requirements. There are operating rooms, treatment rooms, laboratories, sterile processing rooms, imaging rooms, supply rooms, and patient rooms. With COVID, there has been a heightened concern for infectious diseases, which poses more … Read more
The Montana Bioscience Alliance, founded in 2004, is almost 20 years old. It came from a study identifying life sciences and pharmaceuticals as a potential growth industry in Montana. One of the Alliance’s findings was that the entities in Montana that made up the industry needed to be better networked. Companies would seek partners in … Read more
A Facility Manager’s Guide to Building Management Systems in 2023 FICO provides turnkey building management systems (BMS) for businesses, schools, office buildings, hospitals, and others in and around Montana. We have been doing it for more than 20 years. We are also experts in building management and system integration services, and our staff has numerous … Read more
An article earlier this year in Security Magazine reported that 28% of organizations saw an increase in physical security incidents in 2022. That figure is up 20% from 2020. There were also other numbers: Theft is not the only concern, though. The rise in workplace shootings and other attacks is on every executive’s mind. Cybersecurity … Read more
During this past summer, more than 200 wildfires burned across Canada. The smoke was so intense that schools in Philadelphia (hundreds of miles away) went to remote learning in June. Remote learning is nothing new, but it doesn’t replace the in-classroom experience. Had those fires occurred during August and September, the intersection of the traditional … Read more
FICO provides turnkey building management and system integration services for technically complex buildings in Montana and beyond. From design and installation to ongoing maintenance and security, our best-in-class people and products help you achieve operational savings and minimize risk as you work to provide reliable and safe environments.
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Great Falls, MT 59404
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