BY SID NEWBY
The fire service traditionally has been the lead local government agency responsible for rapidly assessing damage and providing assistance in the areas of life safety, incident stabilization, and property conservation after a disaster.1 Disasters in the United States in recent decades from natural sources, industrial and technological sources, and deliberate sources such as terrorism have all increased, and no reduction is in sight. We as a nation must be proactive rather than reactive to disaster management.2 Recent events like Hurricane Irene, the Joplin Tornado, the Japan earthquake, and the Spring 2011 tornado outbreak that occurred in the southern United States raise for emergency responders the question, How do we provide the quickest and most efficient care and mitigation of hazards? To answer this question, you must determine what area of your response area is affected, whether your members in that area were injured, and the status of your response resources.
RAPID DAMAGE ASSESSMENT (RDA)
The RDA helps emergency response officials to immediately estimate the damages that have occurred in a defined area or on a specific site. Officials obtain a “snapshot” of what has occurred that indicates areas to where the available limited resources can be moved and locations from which requests for resources will likely originate.3 An RDA is a size-up on a large scale. (1) It begins with a survey of members in area firehouses. After members have been accounted for and the damage to their firehouses and equipment has been assessed, the firefighters then drive a predetermined route to survey the damage in the area.4 The nearest firehouse not damaged by the disaster can be used as a command post. The information gathered is used to set immediate incident objectives relative to the size and complexity of the incident, the safety of emergency responders and the public by determining what the hazards are, whether evacuation orders need to be issued, the casualties that were encountered, initial priorities and resource requirements, and the need to secure the area and points of distribution with entrance and exit routes. (1, 4-12). Local officials use the RDA to determine if their resources are adequate or if they will have to request state and federal resources. The initial damage reports also assist the community in quantifying and qualifying information for disaster declarations that will provide additional resources to the community. (4)
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| (1) Fire companies drive through their response area to gather damage assessment information using the rapid damage assessment form (RDA). (Photo courtesy of The Wichita Eagle, with permission.) |
Accurate RDAs conducted using standardized procedures facilitate getting the appropriate emergency response to the disaster area much more effectively and efficiently. Procedures that will enable emergency responders to conduct the assessments quickly and report conditions using standardized forms to emergency response officials must be in place before a disaster occurs. (3, SM 6-3) The fire department should work hand in hand with its local emergency management agency and mutual-aid departments to ensure it uses a uniform procedure.
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| (2) The information from the crews’ completed RDA forms will assist the incident commander in filling in the master form (on easel) so he can assess the extent and locations of damage and determine where the community’s limited resources should be allocated. (Photo by author.) |
RDAs are conducted at the following times:
Preincident. Complete a community risk profile and target hazard assessment for the area. Provide annual training to update personnel with the required procedures, update the hazard risk analysis, and practice the assessment procedure.5
Disaster Incident. If a disaster occurs, emergency response crews will seek shelter from the storm, if appropriate. Company officers will conduct an assessment of fire department members and the firehouse. Then a windshield survey will be conducted by driving predetermined routes using RDA forms to determine potential hazards present in the area and report the information to their respective supervisor. (5)
Postincident Analysis (PIA). Conduct an annual review of RDA procedures to check if new technologies or information exists. Fire department officials should conduct a PIA to determine if standard operating procedures were adequate or if they need to be revised. (5)
TYPES OF RDAs
Level I: Internal Assessment
Department personnel should complete this assessment, checking the following information, recording it on an RDA form, and transmitting it to their respective supervisor.
- Personnel: number of injuries, minor injuries, major injuries, number of fatalities.
- Apparatus: in-service, in-service needing repairs, out of service.
- Facilities: no damage, minor damage, heavy damage, habitable, and inhabitable. (5)
Level II: External Assessment
All fire emergency response units assigned to the Fire Operations Division should complete this assessment if a large-scale, man-made, or natural disaster occurs. All units assigned to the station should conduct it to determine the extent of damage in a firehouse’s first-due response area and to determine the extent of injuries, deaths, and damages in the surrounding community. This assessment should commence with designated response areas closest to the firehouse and work toward the most distant areas within a district. (5) Personnel should be cognizant of the importance of this RDA process and how this information is pertinent to the entire incident. With that in mind, remind personnel that they should stop to render aid only when they encounter a life-threatening situation.
Check, record, and transmit the following information to the respective battalion chief on the appropriate damage assessment form:
- Street/road network: passable, not passable. (5)
- Residential damage: heavy damage, moderate damage, light damage, total injuries, total fatalities. (5)
- Commercial damage: heavy damage, moderate damage, light damage, total injuries, total fatalities. (5)
- Schools: heavy damage, moderate damage, light damage, total injuries, total fatalities. (5)
- Target hazards: heavy damage, moderate damage, light damage, total injuries, and total fatalities. (5)
- Infrastructure/public buildings: heavy damage, moderate damage, light damage, total injuries, total fatalities. (5)
- Special concerns/ongoing incidents: Heavy damage, moderate damage, light damage, total injuries, total fatalities. (5).
Units should notify the incident commander (IC) when their RDA is complete so the IC can assign them to operational requirements. When requested, give the damage assessment information to the IC or the emergency operations center (EOC). Keep this information concise, and include any resources that you determined were needed during the assessment.
If widespread damage occurs, seriously consider keeping units within their assigned districts operating as National Incident Management System task forces. This may also be necessary if communications are impaired. (5)
The primary means of communications during the disaster and during the damage assessments will be by mobile radio. If the radio fails, the secondary means will be by cell phone. Recently, text messaging has been the only means of communication at some disaster events. If all other means are not functional, assign personnel as “runners” to physically move the information. (5)
Because of the likelihood of excessive radio traffic, keep fire department radio traffic to a minimum. In the absence of communication, company officers should not wait for orders to initiate this policy. Officers should complete the assessment of personnel, station, and equipment and begin the district damage assessment while communication lines are established. (5)
The department operations command duty officer will be responsible for assigning apparatus to emergencies. (5)
Damage Assessment
Windshield survey. Station officers should conduct an RDA on their crews and respective buildings and report any casualties or damage of either the structure or equipment at the firehouse to their battalion officer—before district damage assessments begin. (5) They should complete the windshield surveys within the firehouse’s assigned area as soon as it is safe to do so. The assessments are essential to obtain accurate and timely information related to the size and scope of the emergency. Information from the damage assessments will be used to identify the types and quantities of resources needed. (5)
Fire apparatus belonging to the district will drive on a predesignated route in each district. These routes are designed to obtain information from the maximum number of high-risk facilities in each district. Note information related to the following:
- Life safety: search and rescue requirements, deaths, injuries, evacuation considerations, and needs.
- Status of lifelines: electric, gas, water, transportation.
- Status of essential facilities: fire stations, police stations, emergency shelters, hospitals, and communication systems.
- Status of imminent hazards.
- Status of access routes.
- Descriptions of major problems.
- Requests for assistance. (5)
Flyover. This is the quickest way to conduct an RDA. If there is a choice in accessible aerial equipment, use helicopters over airplanes because of their ability to hover over an area. (5) A flyover is advantageous when you cannot access an area.
Walk-through. This is the most thorough method of damage assessment, but it is also very time consuming. It involves a door-to-door survey of the entire disaster area. This type of assessment is usually conducted later in the recovery phase of a disaster incident and is not conducive to a rapid assessment. (5)
ASSIGNED RESPONSIBILITIES
Company Officer Responsibilities. Company officers are responsible for recording and providing information from the Level I and Level II RDAs to their immediate supervisor regarding the status of injuries, deaths, and damages of fire department personnel, apparatus, facilities, and first-due response areas. They also are responsible for coordinating multiunit assignments in their first-due response areas during the Level II RDA process. They should be aware of the condition of all personnel operating within their span of control and ensure that thye report any member injuries.
Chief Officer Responsibilities. Chiefs are responsible for conducting a roll call of all units within their areas of responsibility; recording information on the status of injuries and deaths of fire department personnel and damages to apparatus, facilities, and all response areas within the assigned areas; and reporting this information to their immediate supervisor.
Fire Dispatch Responsibilities. The dispatcher should be responsible for notifying all departmental stations (by verbal announcement and page) that Level I RDAs should begin. The dispatch supervisor will also send out additional announcements to notify individual firehouses throughout this time period when the execution of Level II RDAs should be initiated. In addition, the fire dispatcher should ensure that all requests for assistance during Level I and Level II damage assessment processes are prioritized. Only Priority I calls should be assigned and dispatched during this time.
Shift Commander Responsibilities. The shift commander is responsible for coordinating damage assessment routes and collecting damage assessment information from the battalion chiefs. He becomes the initial point of contact and coordinates with the fire department senior staff and is responsible for directing the dispatcher to initiate notifications (via verbal announcement and page) that Level I or Level II RDAs are to commence.
Operations Deputy Chief/Deputy Chief. The operations deputy chief is responsible for receiving and transmitting the results of the Level I and Level II RDAs to the chief and Planning Section of the county EOC.
Local government officials’ RDAs are critical to determining the type and amount of resources needed to mitigate a large-scale emergency. This process provides a starting point for determining if adequate internal resources are on hand or if outside resources will be needed to stabilize the disaster. Using firefighters in community firehouses to perform RDAs ensures the safety of first responders and initiates a coordinated response to assist the community.
Endnotes
1. Federal Emergency Management Agency [FEMA]. (2006). ICS-300: Intermediate ICS for Expanding Incidents for Operational First Responders (H-465). Emmitsburg, MD: Author.
2. Perrow, C. (2007). The Next Catastrophe: Reducing Our Vulnerablities to Natural, Industrial, and Terrorists Disasters. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
3. National Fire Academy [NFA]. (2007, May). Executive Analysis of Fire Service Operations in Emergency Management Student Manual. Emmitsburg, Maryland: Author. (2009), SM 6-3.
4. United States Fire Administration [USFA]. (2008). Special Report: Fire Department Preparedness for Extreme Weather Emergencies and Natural Disasters. Emmitsburg, MD: Author.
5. National Fire Academy [NFA]. (2008, November). Executive Analysis of Fire Service Operations in Emergency Management. Rapid Damage Assessment. Emmitsburg, Maryland: Author.
SID NEWBY is a battalion chief and 32-year veteran of the Wichita (KS) Fire Department. He is a Kansas- and nationally certified fire service officer and instructor and a member of the Kansas State Incident Management Team. He is an instructor at FDIC and Wichita H.O.T. and a contributing author to Fire Engineering. He has an AA degree in fire science and a BA degree in education and is a graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program. He lectures on fire/rescue topics.
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