Elements of Damage

This section describes the fifteen types of damage that can be found in buildings. Inset on each illustration is the symbol for that damage type. Use these symbols on cards during exercises to give an overview of the damage and discuss the best approach for the search and rescue dog teams to search for survivors. In most cases, more than one type of damage will be found in a house or building. Knowledge of these types of damage will help in assessing dangers, choosing places to enter, and identifying where survivors are most likely to be found. You’ll also know where you can work with search and rescue dogs and where there is no point in searching.

The fifteen building damage types can be grouped according to whether they describe areas, rooms, or building elements.

1. Damage types describing areas

• Tooth gap

• Damage crater

• Doll’s house

2. Damage types describing rooms

• Swallow’s nest

• Half room

• Spilled room

• Mud-filled room

• “With layers pressed” room

• Chipped room

• Barricaded room

3. Damage types describing building elements

• Slide surface

• Layers

• Debris cone

• Fringe debris A

• Fringe debris B

Tooth Gap

The tooth gap is what we call part of a building that has been blown away, usually by explosion, between a connected series of buildings. Be careful of beams hanging off the sides and other hazards. Victims may be buried in the debris cone outside the building.

Search: Because of the great danger of further collapsing the rubble and suffocating the victims, don’t walk on the rubble yourself. The much lighter weight of the dogs makes them better for this task. See the “Debris Cone” section on page 210 for more information.

Rescue: Usually approach from above or from the sides. Where there are big concrete slabs on the debris cone, preventing salvage from that direction, you can sometimes reach victims by breaking through walls via neighboring houses.

Figure 11.2 Tooth gap.

Damage Crater

A damage crater is a building in which the lower part is destroyed and the upper part is blown away, forming a crater. This damage has significant danger from falling rubble. Victims can be buried in the debris cone at the foot of the building.

Search: Because of the danger of suffocating victims by collapsing more rubble, don’t walk on the rubble yourself—send the dogs. See the “Debris Cone” section on page 210 for more information.

Rescue: Approach from above or from the side. Where there are big concrete slabs on the debris cone, preventing salvage from that direction, you can sometimes reach victims by breaking through walls via neighboring houses.

Figure 11.3 Damage crater.

Figure 11.4 Damage crater. (Algeria, 2003)

Doll’s House

Because of a gas explosion or earthquake, the exterior walls have been blown off the building. Without these supporting walls, the building is very unstable, so there is a great danger of it coming down.

Search: Each room of the house can be described as a swallow’s nest (page 194). At the foot of the doll’s house there is fringe debris, which should be searched thoroughly by dogs.

Rescue: Use the same approach as for a swallow’s nest (below) or fringe debris A or B (page 213).

Figure 11.5 Doll’s house.

Figure 11.6 Doll’s house. (Leninakan, Armenia, 1988)