Structural Engineers Association of Northern California Newsletter - March 1996

DES News Article

How is the OES/SEAONC Emergency Response Program initiated how is VSAE activated?

How is the OES/SEAONC Emergency Response Program initiated how is VSAE activated?

The OES/SEAONC Volunteer Safety Assessment Engineers (VSAEs) are an organized group of SEAONC Members which respond to an OES (State of California Office of Emergency Services) request for assistance, usually in the aftermath of a significant seismic event. The Engineers, under the direction of OES, assist local jurisdictions in the post-earthquake safety evaluations of buildings.

In order to facilitate a coordinated response, SEAONC has developed a telephone communication network, or Phone Tree, which is intended to systematically activate and direct our group of Volunteers. This network is a pyramidal organization intended to provide a rapid means of communicating information to, and from, Volunteers in the event of an emergency requiring their services.

The communication Network, which is currently being revised to incorporate some of the lessons learned during the Northridge earthquake, consists of Six Groups, each with a corresponding Group Coordinator. Each group consists of approximately six to nine Units, each Unit lead by a corresponding Unit Coordinator. These Units are composed of VSAEs and, in general, have been formed geographically by home addresses to facilitate car pooling arrangements. In addition, corporations with a significant number of VSAEs are (soon to be) grouped separately as required to minimize office disruption and assure continuity in the Phone Tree.

In the event of an emergency, the local authorities of the affected area request the aid of VSAEs through the OES. The OES contacts the SEAONC Emergency Coordinator (generally, the current DES Committee Chair), who contacts the appropriate local Group Coordinators, giving them the necessary information as known. They will then contact the Unit Coordinators within their Groups, who will in turn, contact the VSAEs in their Units. By these means, the VSAEs willing and able to respond to the emergency are identified.

The VSAEs will then travel as directed to the emergency site by car pool or government transportation. At the site, the site leader, in cooperation with the OES personnel present, will form the Volunteers into Teams and appoint Team leaders. As directed, the teams will then proceed to local jurisdictions to be deputized prior to providing safety assessment services as required.

Note: In order to be consistant with OES nomenclature, the previous title of "Volunteer Safety Assessment Engineer" (VSAE).

Next Month: Who is qualified to be a VSAE and what are they expected to do?

Don Cushing, and Lisa Shusto