National Demolition Association Puts out Disaster Response Kit

The National Demolition Association has produced an educational kit designed to offer information on how demolition contractors can supplement the work of first responders at disaster sites.

The package features a DVD called “The Role of a Demolition Contractor at a Disaster Site.”

In addition to the 15-minute DVD, the kit also includes a companion equipment guide, which gives and overview of skid steers, backhoes and loaders, all of which can assist first responders in recovery efforts. The third element of the package is a position paper, “Demolition Contractors Can Strengthen First Response Team Efforts.”

“Demolition contractors can supplement first responders’ important work by providing skilled support with specialized equipment, skilled labor and years of experience,” says Michael R. Taylor, director of the association. “Because we feel this new informational resource is so important to first responders, we’ve sent kits to more than 1,000 fire chiefs in the U.S. and Canada to help educate them about the valuable support demolition professionals can offer them.”

The association’s disaster site DVD includes interviews with the supervising fire marshal of the Chicago Fire Department, the fire chief of the Glenview, Ill., Fire Department and the fire chief of the Northbrook, Ill., Fire Department. Each first responder explains how his department retains the services of a demolition contractor on their support teams. These demolition contractors perform such tasks gaining access to collapsed structures, assisting in the investigation of fire causes and origins and participating in fire overhaul and salvage.