Many of you may already be aware of BOAT’s response to several disaster events that occurred within the state, and the assistance we provided to communities impacted by those events. Our Association has called for volunteers to perform damage assessment inspections within many of those affected communities. Many of you responded by giving your time and efforts at those events and/or indicating your willingness to participate in future events and on behalf of the BOAT Board of Directors, I want to say thank you. I believe we have learned valuable lessons that will help us be more prepared for any future events.
Following a disaster event, first responders go into an area to perform their search and rescue efforts, to assist the injured, and to secure the area. The next crucial step is to perform an evaluation of all affected structures, and to identify if they are in a safe or unsafe condition. The main objective of conducting these inspections is to get as many people back into their homes and businesses as soon as possible. Trained Building Inspectors are very qualified to perform that task.
The possibility of a disastrous event occurring in one of the City’s we work for is always present, and having the proper tools and materials readily available can help us mobilize faster. Therefore, I would like to focus this article on one step each of us should consider taking to prepare ourselves to respond if an event strikes us. I encourage everyone to assemble to-go packs of the materials needed to conduct post-disaster inspections. There are some basic items necessary to perform this task, and good reasons to assemble them ahead of time. We never know where an event might strike or the extent of damage the event may cause. There will be instances when electric service is disrupted making it impossible to make copies of necessary forms. Also, if city facilities are damaged and possibly unsafe to occupy, it will be beneficial to have some of the needed materials stored elsewhere in your city. Rockwall chose to store our materials in a very sound water tower. If the need arises, these materials are available for quick retrieval. You could also consider storing your packs in two separate locations, in case one of the locations become inaccessible during an event. Our to-go packs include the following items:
Post Disaster Assessment Inspection Box Inventory
| Description | Quantity |
|---|---|
| ATC-45 Rapid Evaluation Safety Assessment Form | 1500 |
| ATC-45 Detailed Evaluation Safety Assessment Form | 100 |
| ATC 20-2 Green “Inspected” Placard | 500 |
| ATC 20-2 Yellow “Restricted Use” Placard | 500 |
| ATC 20-2 Red “Unsafe” Placard | 500 |
| Top Loading Plastic Sheet Protectors for placards | 1000 |
| Clip Board | 10 |
| Emergency Personnel Sign In Sheet | 10 |
| Temporary Name Tag | 20 |
| Plastic Name Tag Holder with Clip | 20 |
| Heavy Duty Staple Gun | 10 |
| Staples (boxes) | 10 |
| Gorilla tape (1 roll) | 10 |
| Box of pens to complete the forms | 10 |
| Sharpie markers to complete the placards | 10 |
| Thumb drive containing all forms and placards | 1 |
While all the listed items may prove to be essential, you will need to decide on the quantities to assemble. My goal is to equip Rockwall with enough materials to supply 10 teams for a minimum of two full days in the field. A good point of reference to keep in mind is that each team should be able to perform rapid assessments on approximately 60 structures per day. This number is relevant to be able to estimate the number of days needed to complete all of the necessary assessments. This will also help those leading the assessment efforts to manage the recruiting of team members for the cause.
Teams should conduct their efforts with the knowledge provided in the Applied Technology Council’s ATC 20 building safety evaluation forms and placards, as well as their associated field manuals ATC 45, ATC 20-1. I encourage each of you to take some time to review those resources because they will help prepare you for future response efforts. There are other items/tools that would be beneficial for team members conducting these inspections. That list includes hard hats, safety glasses, safety vests, sunscreen, bug spray and any other protective gear an individual may want to have while working at the disaster site. I would also suggest appropriate footwear. Not necessarily steel toes, but something with a thick sole and good traction. Individuals responding may bring those items when they arrive at the scene, but you could elect to include some of them in your to-go boxes as well. As building code officials both the training we have received and the skill sets we have developed put us in a prime position to respond to an event that may occur in our municipalities, or perhaps somewhere else in our great state. Anything we can do to be more prepared in advance will help us to better serve the public.
Jeffrey Widmer, CBO
Director, City of Rockwall
BOAT Past President