Disaster Emergency Services

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ABOUT

The Disaster Emergency Services (DES) Committee works with structural engineers, local communities, and various government agencies to prepare for and respond to disasters that affect structures’ integrity and safety. Information on our various charges can be found below. 

COMMITTEE CHARGES

1. Recruit New Committee Members
   DES Committee currently has 30 active committee members and is actively looking for interested individuals to join our committee.
   
   
2. SAP Evaluator Database
   DES works with CalOES to maintain SEAONC’s share of the volunteer structural evaluator database.
   DES is working with CalOES officials to roll out the new digital database. We will participate in a table top deployment exercise in late 2024 or early 2025. 
   
   
3. SAP Evaluator Training 
   The committee plans and hosts a SAP Evaluator training  every 18-24 months. The next training is planned for April/May 2025.
   
   
4. Disaster Response Plan
   The committee continues to maintain and update the SEAOC disaster response plan every October. Updates include contact information and revised communication templates
   We meet with the SEAOC board every October to make sure all board members are aware of the plan's contents and procedures. 
   
   
5. Urban Search and Rescue (USAR)
   DES maintains the following points of contact for FEMA’s local USAR teams
   CA Task Force 3 – Menlo Park: Kevin Zucco, Jack Wegleitner, Hong Kim, Tali Feinstein, & Tatiana Gospe
   CA Task Force 4 – Oakland: Karin Kuffel, Stefanie Rae Arizabal, & David Ojala
   
   
6. Accelerated Building Reoccupancy (ABR) Programs
   DES assists in the maintenance and updating of the San Francisco Building Occupancy Recovery Program (BORP) which is a volunteer, post disaster building structure inspection program. 
   We aim to initiate discussions with the city of Oakland for implementation of its own ABR program.
   
   
7. Community Engagement and Education
   The committee aims to educate local communities and organizations on how structural engineers can help them prepare for and respond to a disaster. A main goal is to help connect existing organizations and facilitate the sharing and use of existing resources.
   
   
8. Disaster Database
   The committee maintains its own database of past disasters and relevant resources to help inform committee activities.
   
   
9. Evaluation of Fire Hazards
   DES aims to incorporate the evaluation of fire hazards into the DES mission (and response plan)

GET INVOLVED

Interested in joining the Disaster Emergency Service committee or the mailing list?

Please contact des@seaonc.org or jwegleitner@degenkolb.com with additional comments or questions

COMMITTEE ORGANIZATION

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