Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

Rapid Visual Screening of Buildings for Potential Seismic Hazards: A Handbook - Third Edition (FEMA P-154 / January 2015) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

The rapid visual screening (RVS) procedure has been developed to identify, inventory, and screen buildings that are potentially seismically hazardous. Once identified as potentially hazardous, such buildings should be further evaluated by a design professional experienced in seismic design to determine if, in fact, they are seismically hazardous. The RVS procedure uses a methodology based on a sidewalk survey of a building and a Data Collection Form, which the person conducting the survey completes, based on visual observation of the building from the exterior, and if possible, the interior. The two-page Data Collection Form (shown in Figures 1-1 and 1-2) includes space for documenting building identification information, including its use and size, a photograph of the building, sketches, and documentation of pertinent data related to seismic performance. Based on the data collected during the survey, a score is calculated that provides an indication of the expected seismic performance of the building.