6
Structural
Collapse
Search and
Rescue
6
Objectives (1 of 3)
• Identify the need for structural collapse
search and rescue operations.
• Describe the various types of structural
collapse events.
• Describe the resources needed to conduct
a structural collapse search and rescue
operation.
6
Objectives (2 of 3)
• Describe response planning and incident
management requirements related to a
structural collapse search and rescue
incident.
• Describe site control operations at a
structural collapse incident.
• List general hazards associated with a
structural collapse incident.
6
Objectives (3 of 3)
• Identify building construction types and
their associated collapse characteristics.
• List the five types of collapse void
patterns.
• Describe the FEMA USAR search,
building, victim location, and structure
marking systems.
6
Skills Objectives
 Remove readily accessible victims from a
structural collapse incident.
6
Structural Collapse Scenarios
• Vary in difficulty based on significance of
collapse and size, type, and occupancy of
building involved
• Require standard, flexible rescue plan of
action
• Require various resources, tools,
personnel
6
Various Factors Cause Collapse
(1 of 3)
• Nature:
– Hurricanes, tornadoes, high winds,
earthquakes, mudslides, landslides, floods,
snow or ice loads on roofs
• Fire damage
6
Various Factors Cause Collapse
(2 of 3)
© Baloncici/ShutterStock, Inc.
6
Various Factors Cause Collapse
(3 of 3)
• Interior or exterior blast:
– Gas leak explosion, boiler explosion, terrorist
activity
• Human error:
– Impact by transportation vehicle, faulty
engineering, improper building materials
6
Applicable Standards
• NFPA 1006, Standard for Technical
Rescuer Professional Qualifications: job
performance requirements for responders
at technician-level
• NFPA 1670, Standard on Operations and
Training for Technical Search and Rescue
Incidents: organizational requirements
6
Awareness Level Responders
•
•
•
•
•
•
Serve as equipment runners.
Help move and care for casualties.
Maintain perimeter control.
Provide command post assistance.
Direct traffic.
Perform other important tasks within
training level.
6
Hazard Control Resources
Include (1 of 2)
• Firefighting assets
• Utility company assistance
• Trained professionals to control secondary
collapse hazards
• Hazardous materials response teams
6
Hazard Control Resources
Include (2 of 2)
• Law enforcement
• Search and rescue teams trained in
structural collapse rescue
• Search assets:
– Physical search teams, canine search teams,
search teams with technical equipment
6
Technical Search Resources (1 of 3)
• Acoustic devices pick up noises from
within collapsed building.
• Seismic devices sense vibrations,
movement from within or around building.
• Visual search devices pick up visual or
thermal image.
6
Technical Search Resources (2 of 3)
Courtesy of CON-SPACE Communications
6
Technical Search Resources (3 of 3)
© Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Courtesy of Glen E. Ellman and Texas Engineering Extension Service, Texas A&M System.
6
Extrication
• Actions taken by responders to remove
victim from entrapment at building
• Involves:
– Lifting heavy objects
– Cutting through building materials
– Breaching structural building components
6
Special Training Required
Includes
• Use of hand, power tools to lift and
stabilize heavy objects and possibly move
heavy loads safely to access victims
• Knowledge of mechanical advantage,
classes of levers, pneumatic lifting bags,
cribbing stabilization systems
6
Rescue Resources Include (1 of 4)
• Breaching: cutting through wood, steel,
concrete, furniture, appliances, to access
victims
• Shoring: using tools, equipment to support
and stabilize damaged buildings and
structural members to access victims and
avoid secondary collapse
6
Rescue Resources Include (2 of 4)
© Glen E. Ellman
6
Rescue Resources Include (3 of 4)
Courtesy of Robert Rhea
6
Rescue Resources Include (4 of 4)
• Victim packaging: using equipment
(stretchers, baskets) to load and move
victims to safety
6
EMS Resources
(1 of 2)
• May be significant at collapse event,
especially with mass-casualty
• Requires BLS and ALS care
• Manage injuries, medical complications
typical at collapse, including:
– Fractures, respiratory distress, dehydration,
compartment syndrome, crush syndrome
6
EMS Resources (2 of 2)
Courtesy of Robert Rhea
6
Hazardous Materials Resources
• Include personnel trained and equipped to
detect chemical, biological, nuclear, WMD
hazards:
– WMD threats: chemical, biological,
radiological/nuclear, explosive
• Involve atmospheric monitoring to
determine dangerous atmospheres and
establish control zones
• Include specialized PPE, equipment,
procedures
6
Law Enforcement Resources
•
•
•
•
Establish perimeter control.
Perform site security.
Control traffic flow.
Maintain force protection for emergency
responders.
• Interview witnesses, bystanders, and coworkers.
6
Logistical Support Resources
• Nighttime lighting, bathroom facilities, food
and shelter items for rescue workers
• Apparatus maintenance, refueling, field
repair of tools and equipment,
procurement of rescue tools, supplies, and
equipment
• Provide on-site ER with physician and
nurses for victims.
6
Strategic Objectives
• Evaluate the scene and identify potential
victims and locations.
• Initiate operations to minimize hazards to
operating personnel and trapped victims.
• Search structure, rescue, and remove
trapped victims.
• Minimize further injury to victims during
search, rescue, and removal operations.
6
Minimum ICS Management
Personnel
•
•
•
•
•
•
Incident commander (IC)
Operations section chief
Planning section chief
Logistics section chief
Safety officer
Public information officer
6
Incident Action Plan (IAP)
• Identifies overall control objectives for
collapse emergency
• Makes provisions for long-term staffing
• Makes tactical and resource assignments
• Identifies operational work periods and
safety messages
6
Organizational Needs
Assessment Includes
• Types of buildings that may fail and
construction materials used
• Emergency response resource needs
• Written procedures to request resources,
mutual aid, contracts with private-sector
companies, agreements with regional,
state, or federal assets
• Capability of agency personnel
6
Light-Frame Buildings (1 of 2)
• Primarily wood frame, 1–4 stories high,
residential
• Inherent lateral stability weakness at
foundation, connections between building
components, windows, doors:
– May cause weak walls to rack over
6
Light-Frame Buildings (2 of 2)
© Sue Ashe/ShutterStock, Inc.
6
Assess Light-Frame Buildings
For
•
•
•
•
Cracked or leaning walls
Offset of building from foundation
Leaning first story
Cracked or leaning chimney, loose
masonry
• Cracked or loose brick veneer
• Separation between main building and
additions
6
Heavy Wall Buildings (1 of 3)
• Characterized by URM or tilt-up concrete
walls, steel or concrete frames with masonry
infill walls, other low-rise designs
incorporating concrete and/or masonry walls
• Used for residential, commercial, industrial
purposes, 1–6 stories
• Lack of lateral wall strength and weakness of
connections between walls, floors, roofs
primary weakness
6
Heavy Wall Buildings (2 of 3)
• Collapse problems related to load-bearing
walls of brick, hollow concrete block, or
stone
• Falling hazards from bricks, rubble, and
ornamentation are common during
collapse event.
6
Heavy Wall Buildings (3 of 3)
© wheatley/ShutterStock, Inc.
6
Assess Heavy Wall Buildings For
• Cracked walls at building corners and near
wall openings
• Unsupported and partially collapsed floors
or roofs
• Damaged connections between walls or
columns and floors or roof structures
6
Heavy Floor Buildings (1 of 2)
• Concrete frame, 1–13 stories
• Some built with URM infill walls
• Weakest designs may lead soft first-story
collapse and include:
– High, open ground-level floors
– High open areas on corners of multistory
6
Heavy Floor Buildings (2 of 2)
Courtesy of Robert Rhea
6
Assess Heavy Floor Buildings For
• Exposed reinforcing steel or lack of
concrete on column
• Concrete cracking in columns at floor line
both above/below floor
• Diagonal shear cracking in beams where
supported by columns or walls
• Cracking in flat concrete slabs
• Loose infill masonry walls, cracks in
concrete shear walls and/or stairs
6
Pre-cast Buildings (1 of 2)
• Concrete
• One or more stories
• Factory pre-made individual building
components
• Primary weakness occurs at
interconnection of various components
6
Pre-cast Buildings (2 of 2)
Courtesy of Robert Rhea
6
Assess Pre-cast Buildings For
• Stability by observing connections for
broken welds, cracked corbels, or broken
connector bolts
• Cracking of concrete in columns
• Adequate support of wall panel
connections
• Badly cracked walls
6
Lean-to Void Spaces (1 of 2)
• Victims are most likely located under floor
within void space or on top of collapsed
floor at lower end where debris slides
down to bottom.
6
Lean-to Void Spaces (2 of 2)
6
V-Shape Collapse Voids (1 of 2)
• Victims can be found:
– Under each side of created V-shape near
exterior walls
– On top of collapsed floor in middle of created
V-shape, along with all other floor contents,
will shift to lowest position when floor fails
6
V-Shape Collapse Voids (2 of 2)
6
Pancake Collapse Voids (1 of 2)
• Do not result in many survivable spaces
except sometimes in void where floor
assembly falls and rests on furniture or
appliances
6
Pancake Collapse Voids (2 of 2)
6
Cantilever Voids (1 of 2)
• Victims are often found under unsupported
cantilever in very dangerous locations.
6
Cantilever Voids (2 of 2)
6
A-Frame Voids (1 of 2)
• Victims are typically found under void
spaces created on either side of middle
support area or outside void spaces near
side walls where floors failed at
connection.
6
A-Frame Voids (2 of 2)
6
Approach Hazards (1 of 2)
• Include numerous natural or human-made
factors that can limit responders’ ability to
reach the incident location quickly and
hamper rescue:
– Natural disasters (earthquakes, tornadoes)
– Terrorist bombings
– Damaged local infrastructure (roadways,
bridges, electrical wires)
6
Approach Hazards (2 of 2)
Courtesy of Lara Shane/FEMA
6
Reconnaissance of Collapse
Scene
• Perform from safe location, away from
potential secondary collapse hazards
• Assesses area for hazards and
determines needed hazard mitigation
actions
• Identifies access problems
• Requires calm, slow, methodical manner
6
Utility Hazards and Other
Hazardous Materials (1 of 2)
• Damaged building utilities may cause fires,
hazardous environments, and explosions.
• Commercial and residential buildings may
have hazardous materials onsite.
• Nuclear or biological weapons, chemical
agents, WMD as an incident cause should
be considered.
6
Utility Hazards and Other
Hazardous Materials (2 of 2)
© Steve Allen/Brand X
Pictures/Alamy Images
6
Secondary Collapse Indicators (1 of 3)
• Leaning walls
• Smoke or water seeping through breaks or
joints in wall
• Creaking, groaning, snapping, falling
debris sounds
• Sagging floors or roof
• Missing, strained, or damaged building
components or connections
6
Secondary Collapse Indicators (2 of 3)
• Excessive loading of structural elements
due to debris shift
• Racked (leaning) or twisted structure
• Significant vibration sources in the area
• Aftershock conditions or potential
• Active fire in building
6
Secondary Collapse Indicators (3 of 3)
© A.S. Zain/ShutterStock, Inc.
6
Surface Hazards
• Result from presence of:
– Unstable debris pile
– Loose and uneven rubble
– Sharp materials
• May cause personnel to slip, fall, suffer
twists, strains, sprains, and other injuries
6
Void Space Hazards
• Entering collapse void to perform search
and rescue operations is inherently
dangerous.
– May cause secondary collapse
– Requires stability assessment first
• Awareness-level rescuers must be trained
to at least awareness level for confinedspace rescue.
6
Basic Hazard Mitigation
• Recognize surface and avoid hazards and
possible injuries.
• Recognize and avoid collapse hazards.
• Limit exposure to hazardous areas by
denying entry and establishing collapse
safety zones.
6
WMD Event (1 of 2)
• Involves responses by multiple agencies
• Anticipate multiple events or secondary
devices.
• Maintain situational awareness.
• May become a mass casualty incident
6
WMD Event (2 of 2)
Courtesy of FEMA
6
Basic Search Methods
• Physical search:
– Similar to physical search in fire-ground
situation
• Hailing system:
– System for locating victims
• Structural collapse marking systems:
– Different systems used to identify buildings,
locations, hazard assessments, victims
6
Building and Structure Marking
System
Reprinted with permission from NFPA 1670,
Operations and Training for Technical Search and
Rescue Incidents, Copyright © 2009, National Fire
Protection Association, Quincy, MA 02169. This
reprinted material is not the complete and official
position of the NFPA on the referenced subject,
which is represented only by the standard in its
entirety.
6
Victim Location Marking System
Reprinted with permission from
NFPA 1670, Operations and Training
for Technical Search and Rescue
Incidents, Copyright © 2009, National
Fire Protection Association, Quincy,
MA 02169. This reprinted material is
not the complete and official position
of the NFPA on the referenced
subject, which is represented only by
the standard in its entirety.
6
Patient Care Considerations
• Walking wounded may be suffering from
typical collapse injuries.
• Adequate EMS resources are necessary.
• Surface victims should be recovered as
quickly as conditions permit.
• Extrication of entrapped victims may
require special hand tools.
6
Summary (1 of 2)
• Types of buildings involved in structural collapse
vary.
• Resource requirements include search, rescue,
EMS, heavy equipment, structural engineers,
utility companies, and other resources.
• Effective planning is critical to structural collapse
emergency management.
• IMS implementation is the key to controlling the
emergency.
6
Summary (2 of 2)
• Collapse characteristics differ based on the
building type.
• Types of collapse voids and potential victim
locations are based on building’s construction.
• Thorough hazard assessment and ongoing
assessment is necessary.
• Initial search measures by first responders
include physical search and implementation of
hailing system.