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For Immediate Release: October 13, 2023
Conact: dobcommunications@buildings.nyc.gov, (212) 393-2126

DEPARTMENT OF BUILDINGS HOLDS ANNUAL FULL-SCALE EMERGENCY RESPONSE DRILL
Government Emergency Responders, Professional Engineers and Registered Architects Take Part in Disaster Training Exercises to Bolster City’s Emergency Response Toolkit

New York, NY – Earlier today, the Department of Buildings (DOB) along with our partner organizations concluded the 2023 New York City Continuity of Operations (COOP) Full Scale Exercise Training, a 9-day disaster preparedness program held every year in Fort Totten, Queens. Spearheaded by DOB’s Emergency Management Unit, this annual training event for government staff and private industry professionals includes rehearsals of the latest emergency protocols for dealing with wide-scale natural disasters affecting buildings in an urban environment. The practical damage assessments and logistics training taught during this annual program has been effectively utilized by the Department on multiple occasions, most recently last month when a heavy downpour caused flash floods around the City.

“The heavy flooding we experienced at the end of September is a stark reminder that severe weather can strike at any time, and we must always be ready to respond when mother nature throws a curveball,” said NYC Buildings Commissioner Jimmy Oddo. “Every year, we hold this multi-day event to provide critical field experience to engineers, architects and emergency response professionals, which gives New York City a deep bench of trained professionals to call on when disaster strikes.”

Two hundred and twenty emergency response and buildings professionals took part in this year’s full-scale exercises at FDNY’s facilities at Fort Totten. This training is the capstone event, which mirrors smaller training exercises conducted by DOB throughout the year. Regular COOP trainings like this provide a proactive playbook for city agencies and our partner organizations during recovery operations. In addition to DOB, FDNY’s Center for Terrorism and Disaster Preparedness (CTDP) Unit, New York City Emergency Management (NYCEM), the Structural Engineers Association of New York (SEAoNY), and American Institute of Architects, New York (AIA New York) helped to coordinate, plan, and participate in this year’s exercises.

Each year the exercises include simulated field operations and structural damage assessment training using real derelict buildings in various stages of disrepair located around Fort Totten. These practical exercises incorporate training on the use of the latest mapping and logistics technologies, that are used to improve New York City’s readiness in the event of a major disaster. In addition, tabletop situation exercises, and intensive classroom seminars are hosted by DOB experts, where participants study and implement the latest strategies and lessons learned during previous emergency events. Topics of training include building damage assessments, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and NYC Construction Codes requirements, the use of ArcGIS/Esri mapping technology, the Citywide Incident Management System (CIMS), and effective communication tactics in the aftermath of a disaster.

Using the skills learned in these training exercises, DOB engineers and inspectors can rapidly survey and document thousands of buildings over a large area, and when necessary, intervene at structurally damaged buildings that are posing further danger to the public. These skills have previously been put to use by the Department's emergency response professionals in multiple real life situations, including the City's response after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2004, tornado damage in Brooklyn and Queens in 2007, Superstorm Sandy in New York City in 2012, Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in 2017, devastating earthquakes in Puerto Rico in 2020, Hurricane Ida in New York City in 2021, and Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico in 2022. Most recently, members of DOB’s Emergency Response Team used damage assessment skills while responding to the major flooding event in September 2023.

NYC Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol said "This training with the Department of Buildings and other key partners was more than just a drill—it strengthened our city's emergency readiness. In the Continuity of Operations Full-Scale Exercise Training, we honed our rapid building assessment techniques to map impacted areas swiftly, which helps Emergency Management map out the most impacted areas to inform our response and recovery operations. Exercises like this one sharpens our toolkit, making New York City even more resilient and prepared for whatever challenges lie ahead."

“The COOP training at Fort Totten provides an important opportunity for engineers to get hands-on training for emergency response. Structural engineers have a valuable skill set for post-disaster building damage assessment, and the COOP training helps us be prepared when the city needs us,” said Yunlu Shen, PE, SE, President of the Structural Engineers Association of New York (SEAoNY).

“As we are reminded with increasing frequency, we, as a city, need to be prepared for emergencies caused by extreme weather events,” said Jesse Lazar, Executive Director of American Institute of Architects New York (AIANY). “AIANY is a proud to partner with DOB, and we applaud their leadership in preparing architects and design professionals with this valuable training program to make NYC more resilient and to strengthen the built environment in the face of escalating climate risk.”