AIA Disaster Assistance Training: Building Evaluator Training

Speakers: Greg Beste, AIA NCARB / W. Blount Shepard, AIA
Location: AIASC Cottage: 1522 Richland Street Columbia SC
Date/ Time: Friday February 21st, 2014 8:00 am – 1:30 pm
Credits: 5 HSW
Cost: $75 per person (Manuals/ breakfast and snacks provided) limited to 15 participants

Reserve your spot by contacting Luke McCary – luke@lambertarchcs.com.

Course Description: Intended for licensed architects, engineers, or building code officials, this course certifies attendees as Building Evaluators in the California Safety Assessment Program (SAP). The program is managed by Cal EMA with cooperation from professional organizations, including the AIA. It utilizes volunteers and mutual aid resources to provide professional engineers, architects and certified building inspectors to assist local governments in safety evaluation of the built environment in an aftermath of a disaster. SAP is the preferred training standard of the AIA Disaster Assistance Program, which provides leadership, advocacy and training to Architects who are interested in volunteering their professional skills in times of crisis. This workshop will teach participants to conduct rapid damage assessments of structures affected by earthquakes, wind and water. It also teaches the appropriate protocol for coordinating with emergency managers to limit professional liability. Upon completion of this course participants will be able to consistently and safely assess structures for habitability and will receive a Building Evaluator license from the state of California which is nationally recognized. This recognition allows volunteers to be networked across state lines and with the FEMA disaster response.

Speakers:

Gregory R. Beste, AIA, NCARB

Greg Beste graduated from the University of Kansas with a Bachelor of Environmental Design and a Bachelor of Architecture degrees. His professional background consists of over thirty years of experience. He is accredited with the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards and currently is licensed in eighteen states.
Mr. Beste was founder and president of his own architectural and structural engineering firm in Hilton Head Island, SC in 1986 prior to joining Halliwell Engineering Associates in 2008 working as a senior forensic architect investigating damaged buildings and has provided damage assessment evaluations for Hurricane Hugo, Wilma, Ike, Irene and Sandy. In 2014, he joined Warren Forensics where he focuses on building envelope issues such as roofing, building facades, water intrusion and storm damage. His work has included custom residences, clubhouses, churches, offices and retail designs providing design, project management, code review, construction documents, specifications and construction administration.

Wm. Blount Shepard, AIA

In the spring of 1989 Blount Shepard, AIA, became the chairman of the newly formed Disaster Action Committee under AIASC President Jeffrey Rosenblum. In September of the same year Hurricane Hugo paid South Carolina a visit on its way to Canada. At this time, Mr. Shepard coordinated the efforts of AIASC with AIA National and the American Red Cross.
In the years since Hugo, he has served AIASC in their efforts to forward a state Good Samaritan Law, and in getting the AIASC membership trained in post event rapid damage assessment. This training was provided through the American Red Cross and the South Carolina Volunteer Technical Assistance Group (VOLTAG). Simultaneous with these South Carolina efforts, other states and FEMA have been working to create a network of trained professionals (Architects, Engineers, & Building Officials) to respond rapidly and seamlessly into the post disaster state and federal effort to assess the post event damage to the built environment.