Post-Disaster Safety Assessment Program (SAP) Training

In collaboration with AIA Orange County

Disasters create terrible consequences, forcing people out of their homes into temporary shelters and closing down communities. While productive individuals sit idle in shelters or even move away, local building inspectors struggle to evaluate building safety in hundreds or thousands of damaged structures. Experience in dealing with earthquakes reveals that the number of total inspections due to non-structural damage can be more than three times the number of red-tagged and yellow-tagged buildings.

Threats also exist from other natural and man-made disasters, including floods, hurricanes, and explosions. Most building departments do not have the ability to perform multitudes of such inspections in a short period of time, so a strong need exists to have a cadre of trained professionals available to assist local governments, along with a program to manage this cadre.

The Safety Assessment Program has been used successfully in responding to disasters, such as the Northridge, Napa, and San Simeon earthquakes in California, as well as in response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. This class will train credentialed persons (licensed civil engineers, architects, or certified building inspectors) to be SAP Evaluators to work in the field posting buildings. An ID badge will be issued to credentialed persons A photo will be taken as part of the on-site registration process.

Training Description:

The Safety Assessment Program utilizes volunteers and mutual aid resources to provide professional engineers and architects and certified building inspectors to assist local governments in safety evaluation of their built environment in an aftermath of a disaster. The program is managed by Cal OES with cooperation from professional organizations. SAP produces two resources, SAP Evaluators, described above, and SAP Coordinators, which are local government representatives that coordinate the program.

Required Books:

Attendees will be required to purchase the following book: ATC 20-1 Field Manual: Post Earthquake Safety Evaluation of Buildings. To receive certification, attendees must have this book available for the training session.

You may either purchase through store.atcouncil.org or through AIACV to take advantage of bulk pricing and no shipping fees.

If purchasing through AIACV, please select a ticket for “ATC 20-1 Field Manual (Pick up at AIACV)” when checking out. Field manuals will be available for pick up at the AIACV Office on Wednesday, April 21st ONLY.

If purchasing through ATC’s store, given mail distribution lead times, attendees are highly encouraged to purchase books no later than 4/9/2021 to take advantage of the cheapest shipping costs.

The SAP Student Training Manual is available to download for free at https://www.caloes.ca.gov/RecoverySite/Documents/SAP%20Evaluator%20Student%20Manual%202020%20v%2016.pdf

Eligible Participants:

All building industry professionals are welcome. In addition, the following licensed practitioners will be eligible to perform post-disaster assessments after successfully completing SAP training as certified Building Evaluators:

• Professionally registered civil, structural, or geotechnical engineers (from any state);
• Professionally licensed architects (from any state);
• Professionally registered geologists or engineering geologists;
• ICC and ACIA certified building inspectors or officials and public works inspectors.

Objectives:

1. Attendees will review protocol for working with and assisting local governments in the aftermath of an emergency.

2. Attendees will learn to evaluate building safety in the aftermath of a disaster.

3. Attendees (licensed civil engineers, architects, or certified building inspectors) will be trained as credentialed persons to be SAP Evaluators to work in the field posting buildings.

4. Attendees will learn how to mentor others on health, safety, welfare evaluations.

Date: Friday, April 23rd, 2021, 9am – 5pm

Virtual: A Zoom link will be sent to participants.

AIA CES: 7 LU | HSW

Cost: $60 AIA Members / $80 Non-Members

Presenter:

Mark S. Kim, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Principal, Director of Architecture

For nearly two decades, Mark has served an integral role in the design, development, and production of a variety of different building types at MVE + Partners, including multi-family housing, student housing, performing arts centers, office buildings, entertainment centers, and K-8 educational facilities.

Mark is a mentor for students involved in USC’s Architectural Guild and is serving as Treasurer on the Board of Directors for American Institute of Architects Orange County (AIAOC). He also serves as the AIAOC coordinator for the state disaster coordinator network and actively trains Safety Assessment Program (SAP) volunteers for the State of California of Emergency Services.

For reasonable accommodations and/or alternate formats, please contact AIA Central Valley at least 72 hours prior to the event or for more information: info@aiacv.org or 916-444-3658.