Safety Assessment Program Evaluator Student Manual

CA Emergency Mgmt. Agency Safety Assessment Program Evaluator Manual April 2011evaluate the potential re-use of the concrete foundations, so as to speed the reconstruction of thehomes.The reason why statewide SAP resources are not requested for even the vast urban-wild landinterface fires in California appears to be the diffused nature of these fires. Even though thefirestorms of 2003, 2007, and 2008 covered multiple counties and hundreds or thousands ofdestroyed homes, there were apparently enough trained building inspectors in each of theaffected jurisdictions to go out and evaluate whatever was left by the fires.When a burned building is evaluated for safety, it is usually not done to evaluate the building‟ssuitableness for re-occupancy, but more likely to see if it is a hazard to people and property if itis left standing while awaiting repair or demolition. Many times, the debris-strewn lot is all thatis left to post, and if so, is usually posted UNSAFE so as to keep people from wandering into adangerous situation from toxics or sharp metals at the burn site.Photo courtesy FEMAFigure 6-20 – Burned property, San Bernardino, 2003 Southern California FirestormsEntire neighborhoods can be burned to the ground. The extreme heat generated by such fires cancause serious damage to concrete or masonry foundation elements; trapped moisture in thecementitous materials can explode, leading to spalling or cracking. However, if firemen were onscene at the time, the heat of the fire may have been reduced enough for the foundation elementsto remain usable.If SAP teams were used to evaluate re-use of concrete foundations, the homeowner would still bewell served to hire their own engineer to evaluate the foundations for re-use. The findings of theSAP evaluators should be used as an indicator of the foundation damage, not as the final say forreconstruction.201