BC Housing’s Rapid Damage Assessment Program provides instruction on the process to arrange and deliver damage assessment of wood frame, masonry and concrete buildings following a disaster such as a flood, earthquake or wind storm. Two courses are offered:

Rapid Damage Assessment Course
This is a professional level course designed for persons with an understanding of how buildings are put together, typically with a technical and/or construction background, suited to those who are actively involved in property or facilities management, building inspection, fire prevention or engineering roles. Individuals are shown the basic skills required to identify unsafe conditions and how to assess damage to determine whether buildings can be re-occupied. The rapid inspection skills are taught using the Applied Technology Council guidelines (ATC 20 & 45) from California.

Rapid Damage Assessment Coordination Course
This course is designed for persons who develop, coordinate or manage the Rapid Damage Assessment Program for their organization, and provides the tools required to establish and operate a damage assessment program, including information on:

prioritizing critical infrastructure and pre-disaster planning;
identifying, developing and maintaining damage assessment equipment kits;
damage assessment team allocation and pre-deployment considerations;
documentation processes and recording practices;
linkages between damage assessment and stakeholders such as ESS, DFA, BC Safety Authority, Lifeline Infrastructure providers, and Recovery Managers;

Arranging for Training:
BC Housing will present the training to your group at a location of your choice. Organizations who arrange for training must meet or exceed the minimum number of required participants, arrange for and register the participants, and provide a facility with a screen, PowerPoint projector, and the appropriate seating.

Supporting documents that are provided as part of the Rapid Damage Assessment Program training include the following:

Damage Assessment courses are offered at an extremely reasonable rate to encourage emergency preparedness and business continuity planning in the public and private sectors. For additional information or to arrange for training, please contact the Security and Emergency Services Department.