Community partners collaborating with first responders in Silicon Valley

Being a responsible and active community member is critical to running an effective data center operation. It helps to ensure that we can provide a safe, secure and positive experience for our clients and their people. For example, at our data centers, we make it a priority to create strong, professional partnerships with local first responders. Data centers are specialized and complex, and in the event of an emergency, they may be difficult to navigate if someone is unfamiliar with the environment. So, we offer tours, conduct drills and maintain consistent dialog with first responders in order to give them the tools they need to be as effective as possible if or when incidents occur.

Recently, our Silicon Valley data center facility (SV1) hosted the Santa Clara Fire Department (SCFD) for a very special training exercise: a confined space rescue drill. Watch the video.

Due to the number of data center facilities in the area, the SCFD have specialized skills that go beyond average fire and rescue—including hazmat, technical rescue, medical and more. But, while confined space rescue is something for which first responders train extensively, it's not very common in the context of data centers.

Our 160,000ft² SV1 data center is unique for the area due to its state-of-the-art base isolation system. The system is essentially a network of shock absorbers (47 base isolators in total) under the building designed to buffer vibrations during seismic events—protecting the people and critical infrastructure inside.

The technology is a first for Silicon Valley data centers, but because the complex system of base isolators is housed underneath the building, routine maintenance must be conducted in a confined space—which could potentially pose a challenge for first responders in the event of an emergency or rescue.

That's why we invited the SCFD to our Silicon Valley data center to conduct the drill. It was an opportunity to prepare our people in the case of an emergency, but more importantly, it's vital training for SCFD's first responders that could potentially save lives in the future.

It's just one of the ways in which we strive to be responsible partners for our clients and responsible members of the communities we are proud to call homes for our facilities.