Project Profile – Doyle Drive Replacement Contract 4

Dave Schafhirt Consulting:




Doyle Drive Presidio Parkway Phase 1 Tunnel:  This project involved a cut and cover 1,036ft tunnel along Doyle Drive to replace an overpass that no longer met seismic requirements.  This tunnel was the first tunnel in many years for the California Department of Transportation and included an additional electrical substation, tunnel fire protection alarm and sprinkler systems, tunnel traffic monitoring systems, and a new Temporary Maintenance Center (operations control). 
Major systems installed as part of this tunnel project include:

Medium Voltage Switchgear and emergency generator
Multi-function protective relays and control logic
Low Voltage distribution and panels and uninterruptable power supply system
Tunnel, street, and substation lighting controls
Special Systems (Radio Rebroadcast, CCTV, Call Boxes, CO Monitoring)
SCADA including control of electrical distribution and interconnection with fire alarm system
Fire Alarm
Fire Deluge System
Fire Standpipe System
Tunnel Drainage
Substation HVAC, hydrogen controls
Battery Charging Systems

Location, Presidio of San Francisco California
Owner, California Department of Transportation
This projects Fire Life Safety System contains a Fire Alarm System using Tamper switches at all of the wet and dry standpipes, Flow sensors, smoke and rate of rise sensors in the interstitial spaces and Linear Heat Detectors in the Tunnels as well as Pull Stations.  The system is a monitored class A (10) loop that is annunciated at the operators control room via a remote annunciator panel and at the fire department room with the fire alarm panel and deluge control panel.
The projects Traffic Control System contains CCTV for monitoring in real time, variable message boards at the tunnel portals and in advance of the entrances with traffic signals at the portals.  All of the systems are brought together in the control room for user interface with operators controlling much of the operations.
The projects other systems include Call Boxes, CO/NO gas  Monitoring, Wet Standpipe Hydrant Systems and an active deluge system, SCADA Systems with HMI interface for monitoring and controlling various components.  The CO monitoring provides the dual function of air quality monitoring of early fire detection using saturation levels or rate of rise changes to alert the operators of a possibility of a fire. This project is a phased approach to a completed complex of tunnels planned for the future (see Presidio Parkway Project elsewhere).
This project set many benchmarks for tunnel safety and interpretations for NFPA 502 by the Office of the State Fire Marshal.  We conducted extensive testing attempting to fail the system.  We placed Semi Trucks inside the tunnel with their exhaust stacks below the heat detectors to assure we would not get a false positive detection at the request of the SFM duputy.  We also conducted mutual aid drills to acquaint the SFFD, SFPD, CHP, Presidio Fire and Park Police with the systems.  This also allowed the operators to interface with the first responders in simulated emergancies.  

Axiom Engineering conducted the commissioning and David Schafhirt Consulting, Inc. provided support to the State of California throughout the commissioning process for this project. We also supported the State with design recommendations. Our major focus was to bring the installation into compliance with the applicable portions of the NFPA and obtain acceptance from the Office of the State Fire Marshal for the Fire Life Safety Systems, and all life safety related systems.  Towards that end we obtained approval from the State Fire Marshal’s Office for installation and obtained sign off for the project.  Other parts of our services were to provide revisions to the project ERP, schedule updates, operational solutions and issue resolution for all of the major components.  David Schafhirt Consulting worked closely with the owner, contractors and suppliers at the field level to help control cost and schedule impacts. We also worked closely with the local fire, communications and law enforcement agencies to provide the needed emergency response plan development and training.

We worked closely with the key stakeholders, the State Fire Marshal’s Office and the first responders during the commissioning process.

 

Air Velocity and Volume Testing 

Devil's Slide

Mutual Aid Drills 

All Projects. More coming soon.

DEVIL'S SLIDE TOM LANTOS


Presidio Parkway Project


Project Profile – More to Follow
Dave Schafhirt Consulting:

Doyle Drive Phase 1


Caldecott Bore 4


Project Profile – Caldecott Bore 4 Project

Dave Schafhirt Consulting:

A small sample of our projects


The Caldecott Tunnel project included a new 3,399ft long Bore 4, new Operations Management Center (OMC), Fire Department Control Room, and two substations.  The new OMC was to incorporate control of existing Bore 1, 2, and 3 systems while keeping the existing systems operational.   The new bore 4 is connected to the existing bore 3 via 7 safety cross passages.  The 4 bores are located on Highway 24 near Orinda, CA. 
Bore 4 Project.
Location, connects Alameda and Contra Costa Counties California
Owner, California Department of Transportation
This projects Fire Life Safety System contains a Fire Alarm System using Tamper switches at all of the wet standpipes, Flow sensors, Fire Pump Controls, smoke and rate of rise sensors in the interstitial spaces and Linear Heat Detectors in the Tunnels as well as Pull Stations.  The system is a monitored class A (10) loop that is annunciated at the operators control room via a remote annunciator panel and at the Fire Department Room with the fire alarm panel.
This project had a complete Smoke Control Management Panel for controlling pressurization fans and dampers within the 7 separate cross passages in addition to control of the Jet Fans.  This system utilized cross passage pressure controllers to balance the cross passage. During a fire event the cross passage dampers will close in the appropriate locations and the cross passages pressured to provide a tenable environment for egress.  The same is true for the tunnel itself, the Jet Fans are automated to provide a tenable environment to provide safe egress during a fire event. This added additional levels of complexity as the access doors open into the cross passages that had to fall below the allowable force to open the doors. The Jet Fans on this project were looped into a pitot static airspeed velocity sensor system so that the logic had to be developed to sample the various sensors and provide command information to the Jet Fan Controllers so a velocity maintained in accordance within the NFPA requirements.  
The projects Traffic Control System contains CCTV for monitoring in real time, variable message boards within the tunnel, changeable message boards outside the tunnel with traffic signals and closure gates at the portals.  This system also has a video incident detection system that monitors traffic and annunciates many different traffic and roadway conditions.  The system also provides traffic monitoring indicating volume and flow that is graphically depicted in the operator’s control room. The Intelligent Traffic Systems when combined with all of the other systems is brought into a single user interface constituting a tunnel control system with operator command and control.
The projects other systems include Call Boxes, CO/NO gas monitoring, Pressurized Cross Passages, Wet Standpipe Hydrant Systems and Jet Fans for smoke evacuation, SCADA Systems with GUI interface for monitoring and controlling various components.  The CO/NO monitoring provides the dual function of air quality monitoring and of early fire detection using saturation levels or rate of rise changes to initiate automated Jet Fan operations depending on the information provided by the sensors. The Jet Fans can be reversed at the direction of incident command to the operators or at portal control locations if the condition dictates it.
David Schahfirt Consulting provided training to the operators for various emergency situations promoting team work with a Cockpit Resource Management (CRM) approach.  This elevates the challenge and response interactions between the operators to a cross check of each critical action.  The goal is to always have both operators looking at critical decisions and actions. We also trained to instill a separation of tasks into operation and communications, this designated a specific operator who would execute all the actions with the other operator taking a larger view and insulating the first operator from the burden of communications responsibilities.

Axiom Engineering conducted the commissioning and David Schafhirt Consulting, Inc. provided support to the State of California throughout the commissioning process for this project. We also supported the State with design recommendations for the command and control architecture, modifications to the Fire Life Safety systems, the addition of the Fire Department Room, provided operational training for the operators and we conducted mutual aid drills with all of the first responders. These drills served many purposes. They provided training in system capabilities for the various firefighting responders and recommended approaches to handling different situations, proved the Sates ability to control the safety systems in an emergency and improved communications between all parties.  Please see the portion about drills elsewhere on this site as we a very proud of our contribution to this aspect of these types of project.

Our major focus was to bring the installation into compliance with the applicable portions of the NFPA and obtain acceptance from the Office of the State Fire Marshal for the Fire Life Safety Systems, smoke management and all life safety related systems.  Towards that end we obtained approval from the State Fire Marshal’s Office for design and change in design plans and obtained sign off on the components as they were being installed.  This built up to final acceptance of the project and the issuance of the certificate of occupancy for the facilities. Other parts of our services were to provide schedule update review, operational solutions and issue resolution for all of the major components.  David Schafhirt Consulting worked closely with the owner, contractors and suppliers at the field level to help control cost and schedule impacts. We also worked closely with the local fire, communications and law enforcement agencies to provide the needed emergency response plan development and training.

We worked closely with the owner, contractors, their subcontractors and vendors during the construction of the project.  We also worked closely with the owner on developing a completion schedule that could be relied on.  We also worked very closely with the State Fire Marshal’s Office to assure the projects Fire Life Safety System was operating in accordance with the applicable codes.  During the final acceptance testing we worked closely with the commissioning agent, the owner, the State Fire Marshal and the first responders in developing the mutual aid drills.

Major systems that were commissioned as part of the new Bore 4 are:

Medium voltage switchgear, transformers, and cables
Low voltage panels and distribution for tunnel, substations, and OMC
Primary and secondary power transfer between the two substation
All multi-functional protective relays and logic
Uninterruptable Power Supplies and Automatic Transfer Switches
24VDC switchgear power
Grounding systems for OMC, Tunnel, and Substations
Jet fan motor control centers
OMC, substation, tunnel, and street lighting systems
Emergency generators
Fire alarm system in tunnel, OMC, cross passages, and  interconnection to Bore 3 systems
19 jet fans
Fire standpipe system in tunnel and cross passages including fire pumps and jockey pump
Cross passage ventilation system
SCADA controls and interconnection to: power system, OMC HVAC, Cross passage ventilation, tunnel ventilation, tunnel environmental controls, substation HVAC, fire protection system, call boxes
Traffic Safety System including tunnel changeable message signs, signals, traffic control gates, and CCTV, and traffic monitoring systems
Special Systems (Radio rebroadcast, CCTV, CO monitoring, Video Image Detection, Traffic Control, Call Boxes, Public Address)
OMC and Fire Department Room HVAC including 4 heat pumps, exhaust fans, and CO2 control system
Substation HVAC including pressure control and temperature control

Major systems that were commissioned as part of the connection to existing Bores 1, 2, 3

Medium voltage switchgear and distribution in both substations
Low voltage panels and distribution for tunnel, substations, and OMC
Primary and secondary power transfer between the two substation
All multi-functional protective relays and logic
Uninterruptable Power Supplies
Automatic Transfer Switches
24VDC switchgear power
Medium voltage transformers and interconnection with switchgear
Traffic Safety System including tunnel changeable message signs, signals, traffic control gates, and CCTV, and traffic monitoring systems
Special Systems (Radio rebroadcast, CCTV, CO monitoring, Video Image Detection, Traffic Control, Call Boxes, Public Address
Cross Passage ventilation and pressurization systems

 


Project Profile – Devil’s Slide, Tom Lantos Tunnel

Dave Schafhirt Consulting:

Devils Slide.
Location, Pacifica California
Owner, California Department of Transportation
This projects Fire Life Safety System contains a Fire Alarm System using Tamper switches at all of the wet standpipes, Flow sensors, Fire Pump Controls, smoke and rate of rise sensors in the interstitial spaces and Linear Heat Detectors in the Tunnels as well as Pull Stations.  The system is a monitored class A (10) loop that is annunciated at the operators control room via a remote annunciator panel and at the back up control point with the fire alarm panel and a linier heat detection panel.
The projects Traffic Control System contains CCTV for monitoring in real time, variable message boards within the tunnel, changeable message boards outside the tunnel with traffic signals at the portals.  This system also has traffic monitoring indicating volume and flow that is graphically depicted in the operator’s control room. The Intelligent Traffic Systems when combined with all of the other systems is brought into a single user interface constituting a tunnel control system with operator command and control.
The projects other systems include Call Boxes, CO/NO gas  Monitoring, Pressurized Cross Passages, Wet Standpipe Hydrant Systems and Jet Fans for smoke evacuation, SCADA Systems with GUI interface for monitoring and controlling various components, and Firefighter controls for the Jet Fans at the portals.  The CO/NO monitoring provides the dual function of air quality monitoring of early fire detection using saturation levels or rate of rise changes to initiate automated Jet Fan operation depending on the information provided by the sensors. During a fire event the cross passage dampers will close in the appropriate locations and the cross passages pressured to provide a tenable environment for egress.  The same is true for the tunnel itself, the Jet Fans are automated to provide a tenable environment to provide safe egress during a fire event.  The Jet Fans can be reversed at the direction of incident command to the operators or at portal control locations if the condition dictate it.


Kiewit Pacific conducted the commissioning and David Schafhirt Consulting, Inc. provided support to the State of California throughout the commissioning process for this project. We also supported the State with design recommendations for the command and control architecture, modifications to the Fire Life Safety systems, the addition of the back up control room, provided operational training for the operators and we conducted mutual aid drills with all of the first responders. These drills served many purposes. They provided training in system capabilities for the various firefighting responders and  recommended approaches to handling different situations, proved the Sates ability to control the safety systems in an emergency and improved communications between all parties.

Our major focus was to bring the installation into compliance with the applicable portions of the NFPA and obtain acceptance from the Office of the State Fire Marshal for the Fire Life Safety Systems, smoke management and all life safety related systems.  Towards that end we obtained approval from the State Fire Marshal’s Office for design and change in design plans and obtained sign off on the components as they were being installed.  This built up to final acceptance of the project and the issuance of the certificate of occupancy for the facilities. Other parts of our services were to provide schedule update review, operational solutions and issue resolution for all of the major components.  David Schafhirt Consulting worked closely with the owner, contractors and suppliers at the field level to help control cost and schedule impacts. We also worked closely with the local fire, communications and law enforcement agencies to provide the needed emergency response plan development and training.

We worked closely with the key stakeholders, the State Fire Marshal’s Office and the first responders during the commissioning process.

Devil’s Slide Tunnels

The Devil's Slide tunnels are the second and third longest road tunnels in California at 4,149 ft. northbound and 4,008 ft. southbound. These are bored tunnels with a single lane in each.  They contain three equipment chambers containing unit substations for each section of the tunnel, fire pump room, and backup control room.  These tunnels have 10 pressurized cross passages for egress in the case of an incident requiring evacuation. 

Major systems that were commissioned as part of the Devil’s Slide Project are:

Medium voltage switchgear and distribution in four substations
Low voltage panels and distribution for tunnel, substations, and OMC
Primary and secondary power transfer between the  substations
All multi-functional protective relays and logic
Medium voltage cables
Uninterruptable Power Supplies
24VDC switchgear power
Grounding systems for OMC, Tunnel, and Substations
Medium voltage transformers and interconnection with switchgear
Jet fan motor control centers in each of the three equipment chambers
OMC, substation, tunnel, and street lighting systems
Fire alarm system in tunnel, OMC, cross passages, and  equipment chambers
32 jet fans
Fire standpipe system in tunnel including fire pumps and jockey pump
Cross passage ventilation system
SCADA controls and interconnection to: power system, OMC HVAC, Cross passage ventilation, tunnel ventilation, tunnel environmental controls, substation HVAC, fire protection system, call boxes
Traffic Safety System including tunnel variable message signs, changeable message signs, signals, CCTV, and traffic monitoring systems
Radio rebroadcast
OMC HVAC including 3 heat pumps, exhaust fans, and CO2 control system
3 Substation HVAC including pressure control and temperature control
Cross passage ventilation
Tunnel carbon monoxide / nitrous oxide monitoring and control system
Call Boxes and associated signs

 

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