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Emergency Preparedness FMJ Article

When Disaster Strikes

Scott Baird

The school building has been evacuated, the students have been sent home and the flames have been extinguished. Now that the urgency of the fire has died down, it is replaced by the depressing picture of a burned-out, smoldering building. Broken glass and yellow police tape strung across the entrance accentuate the long journey ahead of your organization.

Where is the road to recovery? How can you quickly and completely recover from a disaster? Although the specific suggestions in this article are based on fire experiences in public school buildings, the principles apply equally to disaster recovery (flood, earthquake, etc.) in diverse types of facilities.

After the initial problems of evacuation, extinguishing the fire and crowd control are taken care of, the real work begins. Since these issues are typically left to emergency response personnel, I will not address them in this article. However, once the flames are out, you cannot assume that you will be allowed access to your facility immediately. There are at least two types of investigations that must take place first. Law enforcement officials will investigate the scene to determine the cause and origin of the fire. Then, insurance companies representing the owner or companies implicated in causing the fire will also investigate the scene. Often, this second investigation is more time-consuming and comprehensive than the law enforcement investigation.

After you have dealt with the press, emotional parents, excited students, employees and other building occupants, your mind will race to whom you should contact next. One of the first calls that should be placed is to your insurance carrier. The company will assign an adjuster to your project. This individual may be an employee of the insurance company or a private company that contracts adjuster services to the insurance company.

Your next call should be to a construction management firm experienced in disaster recovery. This company will manage the recovery process with you. Your insurance carrier will pay their professional fee. This will ensure that you are adequately compensated for the loss and that fire recovery issues do not put an excessive burden on the building’s administrative personnel.

The work necessary to return the building to a usable condition can be divided into two phases. The first phase is remediation. The second is reconstruction. The first phase occurs as soon as the owner is permitted back into the building—after the law enforcement investigation is complete, but before the insurance investigation is finished. The purpose of remediation is to seal off the effected portion of the building, to prevent further damage from occurring and to eliminate or control any hazards. The reconstruction phase is a more carefully planned and time-consuming process that will return the damaged portion of the building to a usable condition.

Phase 1: Remediation

The goals during this phase are:

1. To eliminate or control hazards;

2. To prevent further damage to the building; and

3. To make unimpaired areas of the building available for use.

It is critical to expedite this phase. Work should be done on evenings, weekends, or holidays. The management team should be prepared to do whatever is necessary to reopen the building. Good communication is essential between the insurance adjuster (who will need to approve all expenditures), the construction manager and the owner. It may be necessary for the building’s custodial staff to work overtime during this period to keep the building open and accessible. These overtime charges can and should be reimbursed by the insurance carrier.

One of the most important facets of remediation is eliminating and controlling the hazards that have been caused by the disaster. This will require licensed, insured contractors who can install temporary measures. Electricians will be needed to “safe off” all exposed wires and conduits, isolate the damaged circuits and restore power where possible. General construction contractors should remove partially burned and unsafe doors, roofs, canopies, ceilings, etc., which could collapse on future reconstruction or investigation crews. Of course, this will have to be carefully coordinated with any ongoing insurance investigation, as the investigators may require that certain areas not be disturbed. Access to the reconstruction area should be blocked with temporary partitions, temporary fencing, etc. Broken glass, sharp steel and other hazards should be removed. All of this work should begin immediately after the law enforcement investigation has ended. The insurance adjuster will be involved with the price negotiations, but the goal should be to make the area safe in the quickest possible manner.

The second step in remediation is to prevent further damage to the building. The primary source of this possible damage is water. All of the affected roofs should be flood tested to determine if they are damaged. In a fire situation, the primary damage roofs typically occurs when emergency workers cut holes to vent the building or drop axes, pry bars or other tools on the roof. In addition to the roof, all windows, skylights and doors should be checked. These should be boarded up if necessary. Although this work takes place in the quickest possible manner, it should not be of poor quality. The owner and contractors should assume that all remediation measures put in place will be needed for approximately four to six months. That means that skylights boarded up in July should be built to withstand a snowfall.

Finally, it is necessary to return as much of the building as possible to a useable state. When considering the scope of remedial work, all of the destructive forces should be considered. For example, after a fire, the remediation scope should include fire damage, smoke damage and water damage. It is unacceptable to reoccupy a space that has a strong, persistent smoke odor or a soot residue on the surfaces. For this reason, remediation should include a thorough cleaning of spaces adjacent to the fire damaged area. This includes furniture, walls, floors, and ceilings. Also, a duct-cleaning contractor should be hired to clean all affected ductwork, which may extend into far distant locations in the building. It may be necessary to paint some of the charred surfaces with a smoke-sealing primer or install a negative air pressure system in the fire area to prevent smoke fumes from infiltrating back into the reoccupied areas. Ozonation machines have also been used to successfully remove the smoke odor from areas that are to be reoccupied.

Remediation Checklist

1. Eliminate hazards

  • Secure all exposed wires
  • Remove damaged doors, ceilings, etc.
  • Remove sharp objects (glass, steel, etc)
  • Block access to damaged area

2. Prevent further damage

  • Test and fix roof
  • Board up broken windows/doors

3. Return building to use

  • Clean ducts
  • Clean adjacent rooms
  • Seal burned areas with paint
  • Ozone to remove odor

Phase 2: Reconstruction

The reconstruction phase is a more comprehensive, time-consuming process than remediation. The purpose of this phase is to completely compensate the owner for the loss. This means that the owner should have a building that, at the very minimum, matches the original building or space that was lost. The two steps in the reconstruction phase are planning and implementation.

The purpose of the planning step is to establish a scope of work and have it approved by the responsible parties. The same rule of thumb that was used in the remediation phase should also be used in the reconstruction phase. When deciding the scope of work, remember all of the destructive forces. In the case of a fire, remember smoke and water too. Often, after a fire, it is necessary to remove a great deal of the insulation in the building. Smoke and soot can move through pipe insulation and be found in an area of the building some distance from where the fire occurred. In one fire, the water from the firefighters damaged a transformer, the floor tile and a wood door and cabinet on the floor below where the fire occurred.

A licensed architect should prepare the scope, drawings and any specifications for the reconstruction work. Of course, the owner and construction manager should assist the architect. The insurance adjuster, and ultimately the insurance carrier, will have to approve the scope of work. This should be done as a preliminary step before detailed construction documents are prepared. As a preliminary step, a professional structural engineer should provide a written opinion on the condition of any structural members that were affected by the fire. This opinion should be obtained for the protection of the owner, even if there does not appear to be major damage to the structural members. The insurance company should pay all professional fees.

In addition to replacing damaged items, the insurance coverage held by the owner may allow for “code upgrades.” For example, in one fire, a wooden entry landing was burned. The previous landing had four steps, but no handicap access. The owner’s coverage allowed the replacement structure to be constructed of concrete instead of wood (in compliance with modern fire codes) and to include a wheelchair ramp (in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act).

It may be necessary for the completed plans and specifications to be reviewed by a governing agency. In New York, the State Education Department has to review the prints and specifications for conformity with their requirements. This is required even though the insurance company is funding the reconstruction. Usually, the governing agency can be persuaded to give priority attention to the reconstruction documents if they are made aware of the circumstances.

The decision-making process surrounding the establishment of a scope of work should take place at a rapid pace. Questions such as: “Should this piece of equipment be refurbished or replaced?” must be handled in a decisive manner. The more time that is allowed to elapse before the decision is made, the more the tendency will be to just clean or refurbish the equipment. This will result in the owner getting less than what is deserved from the insurance settlement.

If the building owner is a public entity (such as a public school district), the implementation process will be subject to public bidding protocols. Treating the reconstruction as a typical project, however, is a mistake. Cooperative, flexible and skilled contractors are needed to quickly reconstruct the damaged areas. The public bidding process does not always bring this level of contractor to the fore. After consultation with the insurance adjuster, the owner’s attorney and the construction manager, some adjustments may be possible to the typical bidding process.

The selected contractor should be required to sign a contract with the building owner, should provide performance and payment bonds and should provide appropriate insurance. It is prudent to specify working hours, completion deadlines and liquidated damages in the construction documents. These measures will help ensure that the building owner is protected and that the reconstruction is performed in a timely manner.

The issue of cash flow should be considered early in the implementation process. Since the contractors involved will be providing quick turnaround, they will need swift reimbursement. Often, the process for procuring money from the insurance company can be slow and bureaucratic. It may be advantageous for the insurance carrier to provide an “advance” to the owner that can be used to pay contractors.To expedite the decision-making process, regular meetings should be held with the insurance adjuster, the construction manager, and the architect during the construction. This will allow swift action on change orders, scheduling issues and payment approvals. The construction management and architectural firms that are retained for the project should be committed to dedicating sufficient numbers of their staff to the project.

During construction, all of the typical construction management techniques should be utilized. Regular job meetings should be held with all contractors and the architect present. A critical path method (CPM) schedule should be maintained. Coordination meetings should be held to coordinate the work of separate prime or sub contractors. A daily logbook should be maintained. Submittals should be required for all building components needing architect approval.

When the construction has been substantially completed, project closeout should begin. This includes completing punch list items and obtaining warranties and certifications from the contractors. Since the project was likely completed in a rapid manner, special attention should be given to making sure that all prime contractors execute an “affidavit of payment of debts and claims” and all subcontractors execute a “release of liens.” A final accounting of the project expenditures should be prepared for the insurance carrier. After all of this is complete, the building owner will be asked to sign a final “proof of loss” affidavit.

Conclusion

By following these suggestions, building owners can transform a difficult and bleak situation into a successful project. While building occupants will not blame the facilities department for an unforeseeable tragedy, they will look to the facilities department for answers if the recovery is not swift, not of high quality and does not represent a suitable replacement of what was lost. Building owners cannot be expected to manage a large, fast-tracked reconstruction and remediation project while continuing to care for their typical duties. The professional assistance described in this article is vital to a successful project.

A successful recovery from disaster allows the building to return to full use in a timely manner. It allows the insurance company to close their books and proceed with litigation against any liable parties. And, it allows the facilities manager to enjoy a reputation as a quick-acting, efficient administrator.

FMJ
About the authors: Scott Baird is a facility advisor and project executive with JMOA Engineering, PC in Hawthorne, N.Y., USA. JMOA Engineering is a construction management firm that specializes in K-12 construction and facility management. In addition to managing more than $800 million in school construction projects, JMOA Engineering has managed disaster recovery projects for numerous school districts. Baird is currently managing a $20 million capital improvements project in Somers, N.Y., USA, a $40 million capital improvements project in Cornwall, N.Y., USA, and disaster recovery projects in Bedford and Somers, N.Y., USA.