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Building Codes Mitigation Subcommittee Building.Codes Mitigation Subcommittee Two of the tools that can be used to reduce overall dis- aster damages to buildings and minimize secondary damages and injuries are modern building and fire codes and effective post-disaster building damage as- sessments. The adoption and enforcement of modem building and fire codes can reduce structural damages in many different kinds of disaster events. A prompt and effective initial building damage assessment ef- fort following a disaster can identify unsafe structures and help to prevent further damages, injuries or deaths. The Building Codes Mitigation Subcommittee is made up of members of the Colorado Chapter, Inc. of the In- ternational Conference of Building Officials (lCBO), a non-profit corporation with a nationwide reputation for competence in building code development, admini- stration and education. The Colorado Chapter of the ICBO is comprised of government code enforcement agencies representing local jurisdictions throughout the state. This subcommittee serves the overall coun- cil by acting as a support group to other subcommit. tees and committees and as a source of technical advice concerning specific hazard mitigation projects, and the relationship of these proposals to government codes. A valuable resource of the Colorado Chapter in a ma- jor disaster is the Damaged Building Assessment Team, a group of evaluators who are certified to per- form preliminary safety evaluations following a disas. ter. Team members include engineers and architects registered in the state of Colorado, professionals such as Building Officials, inspectors or plans examiners that are certified by the ICBO, and other individuals who, by virtue of specialized education or experience, are considered qualified to perform the needed tasks. The Team responded to the Limon tornado disaster and is available for call-up on short notice. Ongoing training for these "rapid response build- ing evaluators"is provided by the Colorado Chapter of ICBO and the Colorado Office of Emergency Man- agement. The training covers the mechanics of dam- age assessment techniques (methods, forms, placards, etc.), prepares qualified professionals to perform in- itial post-disaster building damage assessments, and certifies individual members as official state emer- gency volunteers. In 1992, the Colorado Chapter oHCBO, in cooperation with the Office of Emergency Management, published and distributed an operations manual for public offi- cials that provides guidelines for conducting a rapid building damage assessment effort in the wake of a disaster. The purpose ofthe ICBO moooter Team On- erations Manual for Buildins:r DamaQ'e ASFlAssment provides a practical field guide for building damage assessments, including sample mutual aid agree- ments, placards, forms, and other resource informa. tion. The provisions of the operations manual apply to the evaluation of all buildings which have been damaged in a disaster and are intended to guide team members in quickly detennining the safety of buildings, in post- ing the results of this initial determination, and in making recommendations to local officials regarding further use of damaged structures. Colorado leBO Disaster Team Operations Manual for Building Damage Assessment A GUIDE FOR THE COLORADO BUILDING OFFICIAL TO BE USED IN INITIATING RAPID RESPONSE AND RECOVERY ASSISTANCE IN THE EVENT OF A MAJOR DISASl'ER IF THE DISASTER IS OCCURRING OR HAS OCCURRED, TURN TO PAGE IV. 1 eO'..' c:olorado .chapter, inc. of the; ~ internatIonal conference of '3 building officials " I.U " . .' in COOperatiOD with the " State of Colorado ...., 7 ..~ Office of Disaster Emergency Services 39