BC Housing's Rapid Damage Assessment Program trains community members and Emergency Social Services personnel in safe effective damage assessment following an earthquake. The courses teach the basic skills to identify unsafe conditions in wood frame and concrete construction caused by earthquakes. Individuals are shown how to assess damage to determine whether buildings can be re-occupied. BC Housing's rapid inspection skills are taught using the Applied Technologies Council 20 guidelines from California.

BC Housing provides three separate course options for the delivery of Rapid Damage Assessment training:

Post Earthquake Rapid Damage Assessment: Neighborhood Response
This is a neighborhood level course designed for Emergency Social Services and first responder personnel. This is the most common and most widely requested program.
Rapid Damage Assessment for Professionals
This is a professional level course, designed for persons with a strong technical and/or construction background. This option most often appeals to personnel who are actively involved in property or facilities management, building inspection, fire prevention, and engineering roles.
Train-the-Trainer: Post-Earthquake Safety Program
BC Housing's Train-the-Trainer program is available to municipalities and non-profit organizations that would like to offer the Rapid Damage Assessment courses on a regular basis. This is a full day course that provides all of the information and materials required to teach experienced trainers to present the Rapid Damage Assessment program.

All of these courses are offered at an extremely reasonable rate to encourage emergency preparedness and business continuity planning in the public and private sector participants. If you are interested in arranging for training please contact Steven Bibby at, sbibby@bchousing.org , or call 604-439-4706, or call toll-free 1-800-257-7756, local 4706.