Running head: DEVELOPING A RAPID DAMAGE ASSESSMENT POLICY 1
Developing a Rapid Damage Assessment Policy for the Worthington Fire Department
Kevin Groody
Worthington Fire Department, Louisville, KY
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Rapid Damage Assessment: Guidelines, Objectives, and Best Practices, Exams of Literature
The use of action research methodology to answer key questions about the development and implementation of a rapid damage assessment policy. The study covers standards and guidelines, main objectives, critical components, and examples from other departments. Recommendations include comprehensive risk assessment, damage assessment training, and severe weather S.O.P.
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Running head: DEVELOPING A RAPID DAMAGE ASSESSMENT POLICY 1
Developing a Rapid Damage Assessment Policy for the Worthington Fire Department Kevin Groody Worthington Fire Department, Louisville, KY
DEVELOPING A RAPID DAMAGE ASSESSMENT 2
Certification Statement
I hereby certify that this paper constitutes my own project, that where the language of others set forth, quotation marks so indicate, and that appropriate credit is given where I have used the language, ideas, expressions, or writings of another.
Signed:_________________________________
Table of Contents
- Certification Statement…………………………………………………………………page - Abstract ..…………….…………………………………………………………………page - Introduction ...…………………………………………………………………………..page
- Background ..….………………………………………………………………………..page
- Literature Review ...………………………………………………………………….…page
- Procedures….……………………………………………………………………………page
- Results…….………………………………………………………………………….…page
- Discussion………….……………………………………………………………………page
- Recommendations….……………………………………………………………………page
- References…………………………………………………………………………….…page
- Table 1.ARC Damage Classifications and Criteria……………………………………..page List of Tables
- Table 2 FEMA Damage Classifications and Criteria …………………………………..page
- Table 3.Main Objectives Of A Rapid Damage Assessment Policy…………………….page
- Table 4.Critical Components Of A Rapid Damage Assessment Policy………………...page
- Table 5.Methods of Communicating Damage Assessment Data……………………….page
- Appendix A..External Survey…………………………………………………………..page Appendices
- Appendix B..Jefferson County Survey………………………………………………….page
- Table 5.Methods of Communicating Damage Assessment Data……………………….page
- Appendix C..Rapid Damage Assessment Policy………………………………………..page
- Appendix D..Damage Assessment Form………………………………………………..page
- Appendix E..Response Capability Assessment Form…………………………………...page
Introduction The Worthington Fire Department (WFD) is located in the suburbs of Louisville, Kentucky. This area of Kentucky has a history of being hit by natural disasters such as floods, tornados, severe electrical storms, winter storms that contain snow and ice, hurricane winds, and earthquakes. The area is also susceptible to technological hazards such as large hazardous material releases, transportation system accidents, and power failures. There has also been a history of societal hazards such as large civil disturbances. Over the years the damage caused by these events has been substantial. The problem is that WFD has not prepared a plan that will enable emergency responders to effectively conduct an initial rapid damage assessment following a natural, technological, or societal disaster. The purpose of this Applied Research Project (APR) is to develop a rapid damage assessment policy for the Worthington Fire Department. Action research methodology will be used to answer the following questions: (1) what standards or guidelines exist relative to the development and implementation of a rapid damage assessment policy; (2) what are the main objectives of rapid damage assessment; (3) what are the critical components of an effective rapid damage assessment program; and (4) how have other departments developed similar programs? Background and Significance The Worthington Fire Protection District (WFD) is one of 18 Metro Louisville Suburban Fire Districts, which covers 20 square miles in northeastern Jefferson County and a part of Oldham County. It services primarily the 40241 zip code having a residential population of 24,421. The overall population we serve consists of 35,000 residents and a daytime population of approximately 75,000. WFD also services two main interstate highways, a main railroad line, and various other manufacturing facilities including the 6 million square foot Ford Truck
our district, we do not necessarily have an operational boundary. By this I mean we can be dispatched to any part of Jefferson County or for that matter, the city of Louisville as the incident or the need for specific resources dictates. This is a significant background principle to keep in mind in order to gain the necessary insight as to what types of large scale events we have experienced in our entire area as well as what the potential is for future events that we may need respond to as opposed to just the events that have occurred within our jurisdictional boundaries. Since our area is bordered by the Ohio River to the north and various tributaries located throughout our district and neighboring districts, flooding is probably the most common hazard we face that can lead to widespread damages. Our district experiences flash flooding throughout the year while our neighboring districts and the city can experience river basin flooding. While access to specific areas within our district can be affected by flash flooding, this problem is typically short lived while basin flooding can be of a more long term event that in the past has caused substantial damages to the infrastructure, businesses, and residential neighborhoods. Although we have had numerous flooding events over the last ten years, our most recent flood of significance came in 1997 while other great floods have occurred in 1964 and 1937. Tornados have also proved to be significant events in our area. Although statistics show that we are at biggest risk for tornados in March, April, and May, most recent history has shown that we can experience these events at any time. As the author was beginning this research project, the WFD district was hit by an EF1 tornado in early January of 2012. The path of destruction narrowly missed one of our three stations and it caused significant damage to three neighborhoods around that same station. The station and its crew were safe but they were out of service because the area around the station was totally impassible and a rapid damage assessment of the area was obviously needed.
In early March of 2012 even as this project progressed, our area narrowly missed several large tornados, including at least one EF4 tornado that obliterated small towns just north of our area and caused severe damage in other areas just east and south of our district leading to excess of 35 fatalities. And again, on March 23, 2012 our county was hit by another EF1 tornado that touched down just to the south of our district, narrowly missing us. Earthquakes in our district have also been felt as recently as the summer of 2008. Although it was minor, it brought home the reality that we can surely suffer an event that could be substantial. The reason for this threat is that the greater Louisville area sits along the New Madrid Fault line. According to Jefferson County Emergency Operations plan, the New Madrid Fault has enough energy stored to produce a 7.6 magnitude quake which is projected to cause a 4.0-4.5 magnitude event in the Louisville/Jefferson county area. It is also projected that more people would be potentially affected in our area as opposed to anywhere else in the state. ("Earthquake Hazard Analysis," 2011) Hurricanes have typically caused major rain events that lead to river basin flooding or flash flooding in our district and throughout Jefferson County. Although rare, we did experience a significant wind event without the heavy rain as the result of Hurricane Ike in 2008. The event caused numerous power outages, road closures, and significant property damage in our district. It also compelled us to do a damage assessment throughout our district in order to determine if roads were impassable or if we suffered any infrastructure damages. The damage assessment process we used was fundamental at best since we do not have a formal process in place. As for technological hazards that we may be susceptible to, hazardous materials releases are the most probable. We have responded to numerous hazardous materials releases throughout our district due to rail line traffic, interstate commerce, and industrial applications. Some of
emergency services’ capability for response to and recovery from all hazards. ("USFA Strategic Plan," 2012) This project also supports and is relevant to the training objectives of the United States Fire Academy’s Executive Analysis of Fire Service Operations in Emergency Management class (EAFSOEM). Specifically the project relates to the portion of the class that dealt with performing damage assessments after a large scale event. The unit analyzed different types of damage assessments, how damage assessment information is obtained and processed, and the specific purposes of damage assessments. ( Damage Assessment , 2011) Literature Review The purpose of this literature review is to identify what standards or guidelines exist relative to the development and implementation of a rapid damage assessment policy, the main objectives of damage assessment, what are the critical components of an effective damage assessment program, and how have other agencies developed such programs. The review process will include examining how local, state, federal, and international agencies deal with the damage assessment process. It should also be noted that the term “windshield survey” may be used within this project as a synonym for rapid damage assessment. The literature review begins gaining an understanding of what damage assessment is. A summarization indicates that damage assessment is the gathering of information that relates to the impact on life and property within a defined area as the result of an event or events. The EAFSOEM training manual provides information relating to the two phases of damage assessment: Immediate Damage Assessment and Preliminary Damage Assessment. Immediate damage assessment relates to a rapid gathering of damage estimates upon initial arrival at the area or specific site. It is conducted during the active phase of the incident. In contrast, a preliminary damage assessment is conducted during the post incident phase. It is a more detailed
examination and analysis of the total damage sustained because of the event. Although both are equally important, the focus of this project is the immediate damage assessment phase or initial damage assessment. ( Damage Assessment , 2011) The EAFSOEM manual also identified critical components that should be included in an immediate damage assessment. These components include but are not limited to: number of deaths or injuries, potential for additional loss of life or injury, unsafe conditions, evacuation needs, and the need for emergency services. The critical deployment of emergency services will be based on information received from the immediate damage assessment. In addition, the capabilities of emergency services will also be determined since the damage assessment will also include the identification of damaged response vehicles, damaged stations, and if there are any injured response personnel. Other critical components will address infrastructure damage, hazard potential, property loss, and area access. Another critical component within the damage assessment process is the need for an adequate way to gather and effectively communicate the damages. A form that is recommended to aid in effective communication should include geographical information, street or highway information, identification of the occupancy type for structures involved, visual damage percentages of structures, target hazard information, and infrastructure information. From the incident management aspect, immediate damage assessments will provide the critical information that will help with identifying incident objectives, the development of strategic and tactical objectives, resource needs, deployment of needed resources, and for the relaying of information to the Emergency Operations Center. Aside from operational objectives, the immediate damage assessment process will provide information as to whether state or federal aid is needed. ( Damage Assessment , 2011)
would then be passed on to help with the Preliminary Damage Assessment which opens up the possibility for receiving a Presidential Disaster Declaration. (McEntire & Cope, 2004) The American Red Cross (ARC) provides disaster program guidance through its Disaster Assessment Toolkit. Within this toolkit, the ARC’s equivalent to rapid damage assessment and relevant to this project is what they refer to as Impact Assessment. For the ARC, impact assessment is the first step of a four step process of gathering damage reports that will feed into the remaining three steps: Preliminary Damage Assessment (PDA), Area Damage Assessment (ADA), and Detailed Damage Assessment (DDA). Mazza states that PDA indicates the number of affected buildings by a percentage of total buildings within the impact area, ADA is the method chosen when dealing with large, densely populated area, and finally the DDA evaluates building and infrastructure damages in more detail. (Mazza, 2009) As mentioned earlier, the focus of this project is on the initial or impact damage assessment process, but understanding what the other phases of the damage assessment process will help with identifying why it is important to conduct rapid damage assessments. The ARC continues that: “Impact assessment information obtained during the collection process will establish boundaries, scope, size, demographics, and timelines of the event, as well as the infrastructure status. An impact assessment must be initiated at the onset of a disaster and continue throughout the disaster relief operation”. (American Red Cross, 2008, p.
The ARC has also identified resources that can help with the collection of impact assessment information. The resources may include but are not limited to historical records, previous impact reports, maps, demographics, housing profiles, and satellite information. The
toolkit also identifies specific information that should be gathered that would be critical components of a damage assessment program. These essential elements of information include: boundaries of the disaster, socio-economic impacts, jurisdictional boundaries, status of transportation, status of communications, status of electrical service, status of water and sewer systems, status of natural gas service, status of critical facilities, hazard identifications, weather and environmental concerns, and demographics. (American Red Cross, 2008) Mazza also provides information relative to the classification of damaged buildings. This information will serve as another key component when developing an initial damage assessment policy. Mazza compares how the ARC and FEMA classify damaged buildings along with the related criteria. This comparative information is contained in tables 1 and 2. (Mazza, 2009, p.
Table 1: ARC Damage Classifications and Criteria Classification Flood Damage Criteria Non-flood Damage Criteria Destroyed (D) >60 in. Structure totally gone; total collapse; major section(s) of walls missing or collapsed; building shifted on foundation Major (MJ) 36 in.- 60 in. Large section(s) of roof missing; extensive wall damage Minor (M) 12 in.- 36 in. Minor structural damage; broken windows; some roofing/siding damage Affected (A) 0 in.- 12 in. Debris against structure; some roofing material missing; building useable without repairs Inaccessible (I) N/A N/A
immediate rescue and relief operations; prepare estimates for the type and amount of relief needed; detailed assessment for long term rehabilitation; the identification of focus areas for purpose of replication. “In short, damage assessment is an important tool to assimilate and document the extent of the impact of a disaster, and forms the basis for disaster management actions”. (Bhati, 2011, p. 1) The Santa Clara County, California emergency services training program on damage assessments indicates that the primary objective of doing damage assessments is to determine the severity and magnitude of the event. Additional objectives include but are not limited to: quantifying home and business damage, can local resources handle emergency response and recovery, helps with resource allocation decisions, provides state and federal agencies with needed information, it measures the economic impact of the event, and data should be collected and submitted to state agencies within 36 hours. Recommend equipment while performing the windshield survey included pen or pencils, official reporting forms, blank paper, maps of the area, GPS units, fuel supplies, and food and water for the team or teams. ("Damage Assessment Objectives," 2011) Another key component that is in the same realm as recommended equipment relates to being able to collect, analyze, and disseminate information quickly and accurately. “One of the most significant hurdles for any type of disaster response is obtaining the right information as quickly as possible to gain situational awareness and make the best strategic and tactical decisions “. (Johnson, 2007, p. 1) The challenge of bringing together data that has been captured from multiple sources can be addressed with technology. Geographic Information System (GIS) technology has been used to address the issues of collecting, consolidating, analyzing, and disseminating critical
information. Johnson also listed the benefits of using GIS technology during the emergency response and recovery phases of the event. The benefits include, but are not limited to: GIS can assist with conducting complex emergency management analysis by making the process less time consuming and streamlined. GIS can help map potential natural hazards. GIS can help identify which population densities, governmental buildings, hospitals, and utilities are at risk. GIS expedites difficult damage assessment problems. GIS can identify evacuation routes. The authority that provides the guidelines that a rapid damage assessment policy must operate under comes from the federal, state, and local levels of government. It begins with the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Act (Stafford Act). The Stafford Act authorizes the President to issue major disaster, emergency, and fire management declarations, which in turn enable federal agencies to provide assistance to states overwhelmed by disasters. By definition a major disaster is any natural event that occurs in any part of the United States, which in the determination of the President causes sufficient damage to warrant major disaster assistance. ( Aid in Disasters , 2008) The legal requirements for major disaster declarations and how they relate to damage assessments are found in the Stafford Act. All requests must be made by the Governor of the affected state. The basis for the request will be made when, after initial rapid damage assessments and preliminary damage assessments (PDA) have been completed, the situation is determined to be beyond the capabilities of the State to handle. Joint PDA’s will then be conducted by state and federal (FEMA) officials in order to determine the magnitude of the
forms to be used are also provided for within the appendix. In the event a joint PDA is conducted, KYEM will make the determination as to what agencies will be assigned and the number of personnel assigned. Results of the assessments will provide the basis for determining if a declaration is needed as authorized in KRS 39A.100. ("Damage Assessment," 2011) Local direction is provided through the Louisville/Jefferson County Emergency Operations Plan that was created by Louisville Metro EMA. The disaster recovery section of this emergency operations plan states that all recovery activities will be coordinated through the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and these activities will begin during the response phase of the event. Initial damage assessment, referred to as the “initial damage impact survey”, is specifically listed as one of the recovery activities that will be required. The initial damage impact section requires that: “In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, a countywide “Initial Damage Impact Survey” will be conducted. The goal of this survey is to determine the magnitude and severity of damage to private and public buildings and infrastructure; and if a severe rainfall event, determine the level of flooding damage. All impact survey team members must report impact survey results to the EOC within hours of disaster impact”. ("Jefferson County Emergency Operations," 2011, p. 36) Aside from evaluating the magnitude of damage, the local emergency operations plan identified other goals of the damage assessment process. They are to determine the type of assistance that is needed, priority of resource distribution, and priority of infrastructure restoration. It also indicates that a combined damage report will be compiled by using damage assessment data from all municipalities and unincorporated areas of the Louisville Metro area. It also directs that all cities are responsible for damage assessments within their boundaries while
Public Works and Engineering will perform damage assessments for public infrastructure. There is no mention as to what specific role emergency services will perform with respect to initial damage assessment or how other assessment teams will be developed. ("Jefferson County Emergency Operations," 2011) In comparison, the emergency operations plan for Lexington Fayette Urban County Government, which is located approximately 60 miles to the east of Louisville, is very specific about the makeup of the Damage Assessment Teams (DAT). These teams are organized as part of the initial damage assessment process. The teams are broken down in the following categories: Critical Facilities Inspection Team (DAT #1): comprised of Fire and EMS personnel, engineering, Building and Code Enforcement. Utilities Inspection Team: each utility company will assess its own facility for damages. Streets and Roads Team (DAT #2): made up of personnel from Streets, Roads and Forestry, and the Kentucky Highway Department. Bridge/Pedway Inspection Team (DAT #3): coordinated by Engineering and Public Works. Lexington Fayette Facilities Inspection Team (DAT #4): personnel from Risk Management, Code Enforcement, Building Inspection, Sanitary Sewers, and Parks and Recreation. University of Kentucky Inspection Team (DAT #5): personnel from UK’s Department of Emergency Management.