Collapsed Structure Rescue
1999 Training Class

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The NASA Ames Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (DART) conducted their 8th annual Collapsed Structure Rescue course, April 18 - 23, 1999. This class is held at NASA Ames Research Center at the Team's Collapsed Structure Training Site, near Mountain View, CA. During the past seven years students from all over the country have attended this course. Participating California fire departments include Menlo Park, Redwood City, Hillsborough, Burlingame, Santa Clara County, San Mateo, South San Francisco, Saratoga, San Jose, Santa Clara, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Marin, San Diego, San Bernardino, Palm Springs, Vista and Sacramento (city and county). Recent classes have attracted students from North Carolina, Florida and an international group from Abbotsford, BC, Canada. This year, the Asst. Chief Instructor was a former student.

The "Class of 1999" included students from the Forsyth and Thomasville, North Carolina, US&R Team, CATF7, Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), San Bernardino Fire, Palm Springs Fire, Vista Fire, Sunnyvale Dept. of Public Safety, NASA Ames and the Abbotsford, BC, Canada CERT. The pictures included here were taken during the last class and they are representative of the type of activities and exercises that take place during the week.

	The week started with an 8-hour session reviewing Building Construction, Types of Structural Failure, Characteristics of Building Failure and the Lack of System Stability. This session is held in the classroom at the NASA Ames Collapsed Structure Training Site.
Heavy Objects 1 Training squads made up of students from the various departments work together to move a large concrete block, weighing about 5,000 lbs., from one area to another using only pry bars and rollers.
	Heavy Objects 2 But wait! There's more! How about moving an 18,000 lb. block of concrete from one area onto a cribbed support, using any tools they wanted, including airbags and hydraulic tools. Not an easy task. Each of the four "squads" were given 1 hour to work on the task then were rotated on to the next task that a previous squad had been working on. This exercise simulates the same challenge as that faced by a task force just beginning a 12-hour shift on a site that another TF just left at the end of their shift. Being able to carry on an existing operation is critical to the success of a rescue operation similar to that experienced at Oklahoma City.
Heavy Objects 3 The object of this exercise was to raise this 44,000 lb. Concrete vault and "rescue" the egg that was trapped at the far end. This task was made more difficult because the vault was snugged up against another vault. Each squad rotated in to take over the task from the previous squad.
	Shoring Exercise Tuesday was dedicated to learning shoring techniques to be used in difference situations, vertical, horizontal, offset vertical and offset horizontal.
Shoring in extremely tight spots Shoring in a collapsed structure can involve getting into very tight areas to accomplish the task.
	Shoring 1 Taking a moment to smile for the camera.
Shoring 3 Teamwork while shoring a tight area is critical. Measurements must be taken and relayed to a cutting station located nearby.
	Cutting Station Some components of a shore can be cut and pre-fabbed at the cutting station before going into the "hole". Measurements are made inside the structure and passed to the squad staffing the nearby Cutting Station.
Shore Testing Site To test the various types of shores, NASA Ames has developed a test station. The two cylinders on the top house cams that set up a vibration to create a dynamic load on the shore. This test site will be further utilized in the future to test and improve shoring techniques.
	Stainless Steel Screw Pulling Thru Stainless steel screws were used for the first time in one of the shores to be tested. They performed amazing well. Where nails will sheer, bend and suddenly fail, the stainless steel screws would begin to pull through the lumber. A careful eye on the shore as things are shifting will see these connectors begin to pull through well before a failure occurs. This photograph shows some of the screw heads beginning to disappear.
Failure Point One of the shores tested to failure at the Shore Testing Site, NASA Ames Research Center. The split 2x4 shows how one of the stainless screws was pulling through the wood instead of sheering or bending.
	Group Photo for Class of 1999 (Click on photo for larger image.)