Demolition contractors possess unique skills and specialized equipment that can be of help to first responders to disaster sites, and the National Demolition Association has partnered with OSHA to provide a training program to certify contractors for disaster site work, according to Tom Stahr, Emergency Response Division manager at Robinette Demolition Inc. in
Stahr addressed attendees of a session on demolition contractors’ potential roles in disaster response at the National Demolition Association Annual Convention held recently in
“Demolition contractors are ideally suited in virtually any disaster scenario to be among the first called to assist,” Stahr said.
Part of the National Demolition Association’s response to the events of Sept. 11 was the issuing of a white paper outlining how demolition contractors can strengthen the efforts of first responders, such as police, fire fighters, government agents and medical personnel. Stahr said this white paper led to the association’s current alliance with OSHA and the joint development of the Disaster Site Worker Training Course, the aim of which is to raise awareness of pre-incident training needs and train skilled support for disaster responses.
While there is the potential for large profits through disaster response work, Stahr also added that contractors interested in pursuing such work should be aware of the many challenges and differences between disaster sites and traditional demolition sites. First of all, first responders might have different expectations. “Availability is critical,” Stahr said. First responders are people that are on-call 24 hours a day, and they expect similar availability from demo contractors they are working with, he said.
Stahr also added that it takes a considerable investment of time and money to provide disaster response demolition services. Additional training and resources, including manpower, specialized equipment and legal advice and representation are necessities.
The time table of disaster site work is also vastly different from traditional demolition work, said Stahr. “No one schedules disasters,” he said. “You may go six weeks, six months without a call.” Furthermore, when a call does come in, it requires an immediate and full response, which has serious implications on the rest of the day-to-day operations of a demolition contractor’s business by creating manpower and equipment shortages, Stahr added.
Another challenge contractors should be aware of is often he is responding without a clear customer. In the chaos immediately following a disaster, there can be multiple parties to deal with, and it isn’t always clear who will be paying the bill for the demolition work, Stahr said. He added that along with the potential for profit, there is also higher risk of no pay that goes along with disaster response work.
Disaster response work can yield great rewards, both financial and personal, to contractors who take it on, Stahr said, adding that extensive consideration and planning is necessary for anyone looking to get involved.
Larry Campion also addressed the session’s attendees and outlined the Disaster Site Worker (DSW) Training Program.
In 2005, 63 such courses were offered, and 1,128 workers were issued disaster site worker cards, Campion said. The program has grown considerably in its short existence, Campion added. In 2006, 156 courses were offered, and 2,800 workers were issued cards.
More information on the course is available at www.osha.gov/fso/ote/training/disaster/disaster.html#assistance.
The National Demolition Association Annual Convention was held April 1-4 in