Feature
by Matthew C. Sheridan
Imagine the moment finally arrives when San Francisco is struck again by another great earthquake just as deadly as the 1906 earthquake (with an epicenter just off the coast of Daly City in the Pacific Ocean on the San Andreas Fault) in which 3,000 residents lost their lives, hundreds of buildings were destroyed and a monumental fire erupted. Imagine the bureaucratic nightmare such a disaster will cause, as city departments rush to decide which buildings are safe for occupancy and which will remain red tagged (not safe for re-entry). Now imagine being last on the list for reoccupancy.
Luckily, San Francisco’s Department of Building Inspection created the Building Occupancy Resumption Program, a private, emergency building-inspection program that helps owners prepare their buildings before an earthquake and then gives them the needed steps for reoccupancy thereafter.
The purpose of BORP, according to DBI guidelines, is to “allow a quick and thorough evaluation of possible damage to a structure by qualified persons…and facilitate rapid decisions regarding the closure or reoccupancy of building areas.” The precertification process involves selecting an emergency inspection team, developing an inspection plan, storing emergency supplies onsite and gaining DBI’s approval of the plan.
BORP was developed by the city of San Francisco after Loma Prieta, when city inspectors were overwhelmed by the demand for inspections of damaged properties. With so many buildings red tagged, many owners were left waiting for their buildings to be cleared for reuse. The program came online in 1995 and by 1997 the first building was approved.
Today the program is a success, led by engineer David Leung of the Department of Building Inspection. Some 99 buildings have been approved, almost all of them commercial, however. The process is expensive, costing anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000 to set up. After an earthquake, the city’s resources will be limited. “It can take up to a month for inspection,” said Leung, who reminds owners that the city only has roughly 200 inspectors. Hospitals, schools, public buildings and the like will be inspected first. Downtown skyscrapers, apartment buildings and homes will all take a backseat. “You will be the last on the list to be inspected” cautioned engineer Sarah Diegnan, whose engineering firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill works with owners to qualify their buildings under BORP.
Requirements
The building owner must select one primary and one alternate inspector.
They should be licensed civil or structural engineers, though architects
are also permitted to serve as inspectors. Once approved, they
will be deputized by the City and County of San Francisco, and
according to the guidelines, given the authorization to “perform
inspections and post buildings which are on the precertified list
with official city placards.”
Under BORP, a copy of the building’s inspection plan must be stored onsite along with other relevant equipment and supplies. These include drawings of the building; inspection equipment such as flashlights, ladders, respirators and hardhats; caution tape and barricades; walkie-talkies; and most importantly, the city-issued green, yellow and red placards to indicate the safety level of the building. Detailed evaluation forms must also be included for reporting inspection findings back to DBI.
Comprehensive data about the building is also required. Photographs, history, use, current valuations, number of entrances and structural systems need to be furnished, along with descriptions of life-safety, fire-detection and suppression systems. Contact information for the inspectors, engineers and architects must also be included. Possible “falling hazards” and the location, type and handling instructions for hazardous materials need to be declared as well, along with the location of all necessary equipment and supplies.
The critical component
is the inspection plan itself. Detailed instructions of how to
inspect specific structural and nonstructural elements, and how
to interpret them, must be included. Due to the likelihood of aftershocks,
instructions on additional inspection procedures are required.
High-rise buildings have the option of accelerometers, a device
that measures vibrations and can provide valuable post-earthquake
information.
Implementation
When an earthquake does strike, according to the guidelines, the inspectors “will initiate emergency inspection of the program within eight hours of daylight access to the building.” If the building presents a public-safety hazard, requires shoring up or demolition, then DBI will need to be contacted immediately. Inspectors are also charged with restricting access to unsafe areas. A detailed evaluation will then occur, and the results sent to DBI within 72 hours.
Under BORP, the private inspection team can post green, yellow or red placards at the building’s entrances. Under their discretion, they can also mitigate—without permit—any nonstructural hazards. If the inspection report is not received within the deadline, the guidelines call for an inspection “made by city inspectors or deputized volunteer inspectors using standard city-wide inspection criteria.”
Once certified, owners will need to submit an annual renewal form to the city. “It is a lot of work—updating every year,” comments a property manager who wished to remain anonymous, “but it is well worth it.” He adds that while other buildings will be red tagged, “We are going to be able to stay in business.”
Amazingly, the city doesn’t charge a fee for any of these services. According to BORP Director Leung, the BORP program model has already been adopted by Anchorage, Palo Alto and Stanford University, while New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Oakland and UC Berkeley have all expressed interest in it as well.
In the days following an earthquake, the city’s BORP program will be the key to quickly determining the safety of numerous privately owned buildings throughout San Francisco. Owners who precertify their buildings will be the lucky ones. Their properties will be quickly inspected—and hopefully declared safe—allowing their tenants the right to reoccupy with very little impact to their lives. Think of it as an insurance policy—one that will not only limit the loss of revenue, but of life itself.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of SFAA or the San Francisco Apartment Magazine. For more information on the BORP program, please contact David Leung at 415-558-6033 or review the guidelines online at www.sfgov.org (search word: BORP). Matthew C. Sheridan is the editor of the San Francisco Apartment Magazine and the East Bay’s Rental Housing magazine. Copyright © 2006 by the San Francisco Apartment Magazine. All rights reserved.