Risk Management Series
Design Guide for Improving Hospital Safety in Earthquakes, Floods, and High 
Winds
FEMA 577 / June 2007 

Appendix A - ACRONYMS

ABFE - Advisory Base Flood Elevation
ACI - American Concrete Institute
ADA - Americans with Disabilities Act 
ANSI - American National Standards Institute
ASCE - American Society of Civil Engineers 
ASHRAE - American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning 
Engineers, Inc.
ASTM - American Society for Testing and Materials

BCFH - Boulder Community Foothills Hospital
BFE - Base Flood Elevation
BIA - Brick Industry Association 
BOCA - Building Officials and Code Administrators International, Inc.
BURs - Built-Up Roofs 

C&C - Components and Cladding 
CMU - Concrete Masonry Unit

DFE - Design Flood Elevation 

EERI - Earthquake Engineering Research Institute 
EIFS - Exterior Insulation Finish Systems 
ELF - Equivalent Lateral Force
EMS - Emergency Medical Service
EOC - Emergency Operation Center
ER - Emergency Room

FEMA - Federal Emergency Management Agency
FIRMs - Flood Insurance Rate Maps 
FISs - Flood Insurance Studies 
FMG - Factory Mutual Global
FMR - Factory Mutual Research 

GAO - General Accounting Office 

HSSA - Hospital Seismic Safety Act (California)
HVAC - Heating, Ventilating, and Air-Conditioning

IBC - International Building Code 
ICBO - International Conference of Building Officials
ICC - International Code Council 
ICU - Intensive Care Unit
IEE - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.

KCH - Kona Community Hospital

LACDHS - Los Angeles County, Department of Health Services
LPS - Lightning Protection System

M/E/P - Mechanical/Electrical/Plumbing
MEPS - Molded Expanded Polystyrene 
MMI - Modified Mercalli Intensity
MOB - Medical Office Building 
MWFRS - Main Wind-Force Resisting System 

NBC - National Building Code 
NEHRP - National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program
NFIP - National Flood Insurance Program 
NFPA - National Fire Protection Association
NIBS - National Institute of Building Sciences
NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NSC - Nonstructural Seismic Coordinator

OR - operating room 
OSB - Oriented Strand Board
OSHPD - Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (California)

PCI - Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute 
PGA - Peak Ground Acceleration
PMRs - Protected Membrane Roof

REACH - Rapid Evaluation and Assessment Checklist

SBC - Standard Building Code 
SBCCI - Southern Building Code Congress International, Inc. 
SDC - Seismic Design Category
SPF - Sprayed Polyurethane Foam

TIA - Telecommunications Industry Association 

USACE - U.S. Army Corp of Engineers
UBC - Uniform Building Code
URM - Unreinforced Masonry
USGS - U. S. Geological Survey 

VA - U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs 
VSI - Vinyl Siding Institute