Scott Air Force Base, home to the 375th Airlift Wing, helps enable priority airlift, aeromedical evacuation, combat support, and medical expertise globally. Needless to say, such operations can be a matter of life and death and must stay up-and-running no matter what conditions hold.

For this reason, Scott Air Force Base takes building construction and protection seriously, including protection from vibration and seismic sources.

Along these lines, Custom Mechanical, Inc. of Lebanon, Illinois, has awarded BDC, Inc. the contract for seismic provisioning for two Scott Air Force Base projects: Building 1700 and the new Visitor Control Center.  They also awarded BDC, Inc. the contract for vibration isolation materials for the Visitor Control Center.  

Included in the scope of these projects is the supply of seismic cables, seismic floor-mounted springs, and spring hangers. This equipment helps ensure that vibrations, even those from seismic activity, do not threaten the integrity of these buildings or the equipment inside them. Earthquake damage to various building systems (electrical, plumbing, cooling, etc.) can be extensive even when there is no structural damage to the actual building, and the bi-state region is a significant area of focus because of its location in the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ).

The new Visitor Control Center is being named after Alan J. Dixon, a former two-term U.S. senator and a big booster of Scott Air Force Base. More than 40,000 people pass through the Visitor Control Center annually. Naturally, such a flow of people makes safety and maintenance big concerns.

If, like Scott Air Force Base, you are in the process of updating or expanding a building, or simply have concerns about safety during a natural disaster, contact BDC, Inc. We can provide many details about restraints and other kinds of equipment for vibration and seismic control, as well as information on codes, best practices, and steps in the installation process.