International Facility Management Association President and CEO Tony Keane, CAE released the following statement after a facility failure at the Superdome in New Orleans resulted in a delay in the middle of the third quarter of the 2013 Super Bowl. Facility management is a profession that encompasses multiple disciplines to ensure functionality of the built environment by integrating people, place, process and technology. This includes the maintenance and repair of electrical systems and lighting.

“The power outage at the Super Bowl is a high profile example of the importance of facility back up planning and risk management. Organizations around the world are seeking out and hiring skilled facility managers to build and maintain their facilities. While the stakes are high at the Super Bowl, a well-functioning facility is also important in less visible circumstances. Whether it’s computer servers supporting online sales, automated animal feeding at a zoo or even just a functioning heater during a cold spell, a well-trained facility manager is a critical part of any organizational team.”

Shortly after the game, Entergy, the local power company, and SMG, the management company of the Mercedes Superdome, released the following statement:

"Shortly after the beginning of the second half of the Super Bowl in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, a piece of equipment that is designed to monitor electrical load sensed an abnormality in the system. Once the issue was detected, the sensing equipment operated as designed and opened a breaker, causing power to be partially cut to the Superdome in order to isolate the issue. Backup generators kicked in immediately as designed. Entergy and SMG subsequently coordinated start-up procedures, ensuring that full power was safely restored to the Superdome. The fault-sensing equipment activated where the Superdome equipment intersects with Entergy’s feed into the facility. There were no additional issues detected."