BC Housing offers two damage assessment courses to assist in developing a Post-Disaster Building Assessment (PDBA) Program for your community or organization’s emergency preparedness.
Building Assessor Registry: register as a volunteer for post-disaster building assessment.
Courses and Training Overview
These courses are designed to benefit anyone engaged in emergency management program planning or response, those responsible for the management and maintenance of buildings, and those responsible for conducting building assessments after an earthquake, flood or windstorm.
Rapid Damage Assessment (RDA) course
This course teaches skills to identify unsafe conditions in wood frame, masonry and concrete construction caused by floods, earthquakes or windstorms. Individuals learn to assess damage to determine whether buildings can be occupied. BC Housing's rapid assessment skills are based on the Applied Technology Council 20 & 45 guidelines from California, the PDBA Framework and Recommendations document, and feedback from the PDBA Advisory Committee.
Prerequisites: There are no prerequisites for this course. An understanding of building construction, personal emergency preparedness and response activities are an asset
Delivery Style: Online, self-paced
System Requirements: Microsoft Edge, Chrome, and Firefox are preferred browsers when using this portal. In addition, please ensure that JavaScript and Cookies are both enabled on your devices for the site to function correctly.
Duration: Up to 3.5 hours
Course Fee:
- Individual: $115.00 per participant plus taxes
- Organizations: a group rate of $100 per participant plus GST is available for organizations wishing to register 6 or more participants
- Non-profit housing partners: please email [email protected]
Please note: The RDA Field Manual is not included in this cost, but can be purchased through Crown Publications.
Course Registration:
- Individuals: https://learn.bchousing.org/
- For group registrations, complete and submit the PDBA Course Request Form
Contact: BC Housing Security and Emergency Services Department
Course Details: Rapid Damage Assessment Course (669 KB) (pdf)
Coordination of Damage Assessment (CDA) course
This online, self-paced course is designed to teach you the fundamentals of coordinating building damage assessment to support a community that’s been affected by building damage from a recent event.
The content was revised to incorporate best practices from the Post-Disaster Building Assessment Framework and Recommendations research document and lessons learned from recent disasters. Feedback from the Provincial Post-Disaster Building Assessment Advisory Committee was also incorporated.
The Coordination of Damage Assessment (CDA) course is being offered in addition to the Rapid Damage Assessment (RDA) course (current link to access is: Post-Disaster Building Assessment Training | BC Housing).
Prerequisites: BC Housing Rapid Damage Assessment Course
Delivery Style: Online, self-paced
System Requirements: Microsoft Edge and Chrome are preferred browsers when using this portal. In addition, please ensure that JavaScript and Cookies are both enabled on your devices for the site to function correctly.
Duration: Up to 3 hours
Course Fee:
• Individual: $115.00 per participant plus taxes
• Organizations: a group rate of $100 per participant plus GST is available for organizations wishing to register 6 or more participants
• Non-profit housing partners: please email [email protected]
Course Registration:
• Individuals: https://learn.bchousing.org/
• For group registrations, complete and submit the PDBA Course Request Form
Contact: BC Housing Security and Emergency Services Department
Course Details: Coordination of Damage Assessment Course
RDA Field Manual - Available online
The field manual is now available to purchase online from Crown Publications.