Applied Technology Council A Nonprofit Corporation Advancing Engineering Applications for Hazard Mitigation California - Washington, DC Area - Delaware

Rapid Visual Screening Procedure (RVS)

The FEMA 154 Report (Second Edition)

The RVS procedure presented in the FEMA 154 report, Rapid Visual Screening of Buildings for Potential Seismic Hazards: A Handbook (second edition), has been formulated to identify, inventory, and rank buildings that are potentially seismically hazardous. Developed for a broad audience that includes building officials and inspectors, government agencies, design professionals, private-sector building owners (particularly those that own or operate clusters or groups of buildings), faculty members who use the RVS procedure as a training tool, and informed appropriately trained, members of the public, the RVS procedure can be implemented relatively quickly and inexpensively to develop a list of potentially hazardous buildings without the high cost of a detailed seismic analysis of individual buildings. If a building receives a high score (i.e., above a specified cut-off score, the building is considered to have adequate seismic resistance. If a building receives a low score on the basis of this RVS procedure, it should be evaluated by a professional engineer having experience or training in seismic design. On the basis of this detailed inspection, engineering analyses, and other detailed procedures, a final determination of the seismic adequacy and need for rehabilitation can be made.

The RVS procedure is designed to be implemented without performing structural analysis calculations. It utilizes a scoring system that requires the user to (1) identify the primary structural lateral-load-resisting system; and (2) identify building attributes that modify the seismic performance expected of this lateral-load-resisting system. The inspection, data collection, and decision-making process typically will occur at the building site, taking an average of 15 to 30 minutes per building (30 minutes to one hour if access to the interior is available). Results are recorded on one of three Data Collection Forms, depending on the seismicity of the region being surveyed. The Data Collection Form includes space for documenting building identification information, including its use and size, a photograph of the building, sketches, and documentation of pertinent data related to seismic performance, including the development of a numeric seismic hazard score. The scores are based on average expected ground shaking levels for the seismicity region as well as the seismic design and construction practices for that region . Buildings may be reviewed from the sidewalk without the benefit of building entry, structural drawings, or structural calculations. Reliability and confidence in building attribute determination are increased, however, if the structural framing system can be verified during interior inspection, or on the basis of a review of construction documents.

The Companion FEMA 155 Report (Second Edition)

A companion volume to this report, Rapid Visual Screening of Buildings for Potential Seismic Hazards: Supporting Documentation (second edition) (FEMA 155) documents the technical basis for the RVS procedure described in the Handbook, including the method for calculating the Basic Structural Scores and Score Modifiers. The FEMA 155 report also summarizes other information considered during development of the Handbook, including the efforts to solicit user feedback and a FEMA 154 Users Workshop held in September 2000. The FEMA 154 and FEMA 155 documents are available from FEMA by dialing 1-800-480-2520 and should be consulted for any needed or desired supporting documentation.

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