UPCOMING EVENTS Permeable Reactive Barriers for Groundwater Nitrate Treatment NEWS July 8, 2020 A MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE BOSTON SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS SECTION/ASCE BSCES & SEAMASS Virtual Game Night July 16, 2020 VOL. 44 | NO. 10 | JUNE 2020 COPRI Boston Chapter/Emergency Preparedness AWIA Risk and Resilience Assessments at the MWRA TJuly 23, 2020 Rapid Repurposing: Facility Strategies for Airborne FHWA-NHI-130053 Bridge Inspection Disease Outbreaks Including Coronavirus Refresher Training by Michael Clements, Bio-Containment Lead, Americas, Greg Mare, Healthcare Sector Lead, Americas, September 29 – October 1, 2020 and Alastair MacGregor, Vice President, Engineering, AECOM FHWA-NHI-130055 Safety Inspection of In-Service Bridges The global response to the coronavirus pandemic treatment, and recovery. This can be done with November 30 – December 10, 2020 has shifted from preparedness to response and minor modifications to existing hospitals, fol- mitigation. In the US, our recent national lowed by assembling equipment solutions from Further Details Inside guidelines are the largest mitigation actions ever non-traditional supply chains (residential or enacted in this country. As the virus spreads commer cial rather than specialist healthcare around the world, each community has sup ply chains) for ad hoc quarantine units in responded in their own ways, and some have high school gymnasiums or other large assembly seen vastly different results. Underpinning every facilities. effort, however, is the healthcare system. 2019–20 Society Sponsors: Rapid Repurposing Resources are being stretched as healthcare There are strategies that you can deploy now, services are called upon to the test for disease, using facilities that exist and equipment that is contain the outbreak, treat the ill, and administer available in your community to fight preventative measures, medicine and vaccines— Coronavirus immediately. We can help. as they become available. Preparing a Response Given the scale of the coronavirus pandemic, Hospitals are not set up to deal with the projecting need for and accommodating beds is anticipated surge in patients, meaning ad hoc difficult beyond one to two weeks. With this in solutions will be required both to address this mind, our recommended first response is to outbreak and to allow hospitals to continue free up additional capacity within that one- to treating patients suffering from other ailments. two-week timeframe using existing resources that can be rapidly modified for quarantine, continued on page 2 President’s Report by Richard Maher, PE, Managing Associate, Perry Associates, LLC 171 Years. In 1848, a group of historical events. Major events of war, financial lectures to be maintained year after year in honor like-minded individuals, civil depressions and recessions, natural disasters, of the named individual. There is no better engineers by training, formed pandemics, political and social unrest have example of the importance of this forethought to the Boston Society of Civil shaped civil engineering industry as we know it donate than the current COVID-19 situation and Engineers. This was an uncer- in this moment. The events of the past six the fiscal unknowns it presents. These funds allow tain time when revolutions months will once again turn the direction of the for a minimum level of BSCES activity to be were occurring in Europe and it profession. BSCES technical groups, institute guaranteed into the future. was only thirteen years before the American chapters, and committees remain ready for the Annually, BSCES requests donations from Civil War. BSCES persevered during these early challenges ahead and welcome members to members and sponsorships from their employers years of existence and continued to strengthen participate in this change. to support over 30 technical and community into the 3,400-member strong organization that Many of our past members have made significant outreach events. These sponsorships are needed it is today. contributions to BSCES to ensure its financial to help our members stay competitively The exhibited endurance of BSCES members viability and ongoing ability to effectively serve its technically, promote STEM and community and the organizations they work for have come members. These donations and board-designated together and worked through 171 years of funds allow named grants, scholarships, and continued on page 6 2019–2020 BSCES BoardNEWS of Government NEWS 2 President: Richard D. Maher, PE President-Elect: Bruce L. Jacobs, PhD, PE Secretary: Kathryn Swanson, PE Facility Strategies for Airborne Disease Outbreaks continued from page 1 Treasurer: Gregory L. Mirliss Assistant Treasurer: Anthony M. Richardson, PE With coronavirus and other airborne virus Immediate Containment Response Senior Vice Presidents: Shallan C. Fitzgerald, PE; outbreaks, there are two types of patient: pre- Measures Ronald K. Burns, PE, LSP sump tive cases and known cases. Both groups Adapting existing spaces: immediate response at the have different facility requirements and put Vice Presidents: Michael R. Cunningham, PE; treatment facility level to ensure nominal readiness Christopher P. Hersey unique stresses on the hospitals. based on near-term projections of patient load. Past President: Geoffrey B. Schwartz, PE There are two critical levels of containment to Hospitals can convert blocks or wings of existing consider: Western MA Branch Vice President: Vacant non-critical patient rooms to quarantine or 1. Quarantine: Containing presumptive-case Institute Chapter & Technical Group Chairs isolation rooms by changing the ventilation and patients from each other and the general the room entry conditions and standard COPRI Boston Chapter: Bryan N. Jones, PE population; and operating procedures (SOPs). A negative- Construction Institute Boston Chapter: Andrew Giocondi, PE 2. Isolation: Containing confirmed-case pressure room is required to isolate a patient Engineering Management Group: Daron G. Kurkjian, PE patients from the general population. who is either suspected of having or who has EWRI Boston Chapter: Marc J. Gabriel, PE Confirmed-case patients can be housed together been diagnosed with an airborne infectious Geo-Institute Boston Chapter: Laurie A. Gibeau, PE en masse while presumptive-case patients must disease so that the number of airborne infectious SEI Boston Chapter: Michael A. Cruz, SE be individually quarantined. particles is reduced to prevent cross-infection of other people. T&DI Boston Chapter: Kayla (Arruda) Sousa, EIT For healthcare systems and for our commu- Younger Member Group: Elisa K. Yung nities in general, finding more available and Isolation rooms need to be negatively readily adaptable space becomes a priority— pressurized to their adjacent, communicating BSCES Newsletter Editorial Board often in non-traditional places. Readily adap- spaces, and they need to have a buffer zone Chair: Sean Horan, EIT, [email protected] table space can include facilities outside of the between the isolation room and the corridor traditional healthcare portfolio. The following Ronald K. Burns, PE, LSP, [email protected] outside of the space. Where true anterooms could become available and be adapted using aren’t present to serve as this buffer zone, John C. Cavanaro, PE, [email protected] our quick implementation solutions: polyethylene plastic sheeting (Visqueen®) can Bryon Clemence, PE, [email protected] • School closures mean high school or college be hung from the ceiling to create a space where Michael R. Cunningham, PE, [email protected] gymnasiums can offer durable, cleanable personnel can spray down their personal Annahid Dastgheib-Beheshti, PE, [email protected] surfaces, large open spaces and locker rooms. protective equipment (PPE) with disinfectants Jessica DeBellis, PE, [email protected] • High school or college campuses often have such as Lysol® or Virkon.® This allows time for Bruce L. Jacobs, PhD, PE, [email protected] ample open outdoor space to accommodate air changes in the anteroom, before removing temporary structures, emergency power and PPE at the point of exit. Richard F. Keenan, [email protected] parking. While traditional anterooms are positively Richard D. Maher, PE, [email protected] • Hotels and universities/colleges dormitories can pressurized to both the corridor and the patient David M. Manugian, PE, [email protected] be converted using recommended strategies room, this is not required if adequate use of Angus J. O’Leary, PE, [email protected] for patient and treatment accommodation. SOPs and disinfectants are employed. Daniella Roitman, [email protected] • Community centers can offer accessible Matthew I. Shuman, PE, [email protected] facilities, with durable, clean surfaces, with separate room for those with cognitive Michael Sullivan, PE, [email protected] ADAPTING WHAT EXISTS: vulnerabilities. • Readily convert blocks or wings of non-critical Kathryn Swanson PE, [email protected] patient rooms by changing ventilation, entry OUTBREAK CONTAINMENT: conditions and SOPs. To contain this outbreak, and defend against • Train, retrain and use occupational safety future outbreaks, we must respond in three point-and-call methods real time to eliminate Boston Society of Civil Engineers Section/ASCE stages: errors. The Engineering Center, One Walnut Street , Boston, MA 02108 • Near-term (7–14 days): to ensure immediate • Create a network of