This document outlines the roles and procedures of PAN (Palo Alto Neighborhoods) and PANDA (Palo Alto Neighborhood Disaster Activities) in conducting damage assessments after a disaster. PAN volunteers assess damage block by block and report critical incidents immediately, while non-critical reports can wait. PANDA teams and CERT members also assess damage and respond to needs. All report their findings on the same damage assessment form to provide an overview of injuries, structural damage, and hazards to coordinate the local response and request additional assistance.

1. PAN / PANDAPAN / PANDA
Damage AssessmentDamage Assessment

2. 12/05/16 PAN / PANDA Damage
Assessment
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Damage Assessment
• What is it?
– Report of injuries, structural damage, & hazards in
your area.
• Why is it needed?
– PANDA Incident Command provides local response
• PANDA first-responders are likely to be the only assistance
available for the first 1 to 3 days.
– Palo Alto EOC needs the “big picture”
• Coordinate overall response
• Deploy limited professional resources
• Request outside assistance & plan recovery
– Damage reports are rolled up to the County, State,
and FEMA

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Assessment
3
PANDA Mission
3
Palo Alto Neighborhood Disaster Activities
(PANDA)
• Response
– Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
– Official Fire Dept. volunteers
– 20+ hours of training in light medical, search &
rescue, fire suppression, etc..
– Report to PANDA Incident Command Post
– Dispatched to neighborhoods

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Assessment
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PAN Mission
4
Palo Alto Neighborhoods (PAN)
• Preparation
– Community volunteers
– 3-4 hours of training from PAN and Police Dept.
– “Eyes and Ears” for PANDA in a disaster
– Stay in their neighborhoods

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Assessment
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Disaster Response
PAN
Assess Damage
Report Damage
Update responding
PANDA Teams
PANDA
Incident Command
Consolidate district
damage
Coordinate with EOC
Plan local response
PANDA Teams
Respond to Incident
• Fire Suppression
• Search & Rescue
• Triage & First Aid
EOC
Emergency Operations Center
Consolidate overall
damage
Plan overall response
• Professional responders
• Outside assistance
• Recovery plan
• Mutual Aid requests to / from
other Santa Clara county cities
• Aid requests to State and
Federal authorities

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Assessment
66
PAN Organization
• Neighborhood Preparedness Coordinator (NPC)
– Coordinates information to/from neighborhood
area.
– “down-link” = talk to neighborhood
– “up-link” = talk to Incident Command Post
– NPC collects and sorts (triages) messages (from
BPCs)
• Block Preparedness Coordinator (BPC)
– Responsible for 10-35 residences [and businesses]
– Collects information about the status of their block
– May use “low tech” comm, such as runners

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Assessment
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PANDA Field Teams
PAN Block Preparedness
Coordinators (BPC)
PAN Neighborhood
Preparedness Coordinators
(NPC)
PANDA Incident Command Post (ICP) at Fire Station
PAN / PANDA Communication
PANDA Incident Command Post (ICP) at Fire Station
PAN Neighborhood
Preparedness Coordinators
(NPC)
PAN Block Preparedness
Coordinators (BPC)
Palo Alto City Emergency Operations Center (EOC)
ARES/RACES Ham Radio
MURS Radio
FRS/GMRS Radio PANDA Field Teams
FRS/GMRS
Radio
PANDAnet
Ham Radio

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Assessment
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PAN / PANDA Assessment
• Joint effort
– PAN BPCs survey their “blocks”.
– PANDA teams survey areas not covered by
PAN.
– PANDA Search & Rescue teams assess
damage on-site.

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Assessment
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Assessment Process
• Survey entire assignment (block) ASAP
– A more urgent need may be around the corner.
• Report Critical Incidents Immediately
– Threats to life and safety
– Beyond your control
– Require outside help
Examples:
– Spreading fires
– Trapped people
– Immediate injuries
– Gas leaks, downed power lines
• Record everything else & report later
– Wait for the NPC (PAN) or ICP (PANDA) to ask for non-critical events
– OR deliver completed forms to NPC (PAN) or ICP (PANDA)

10. Damage Assessment Form
DAMAGE ASSESSMENT
Confidential Information – NOT to be Released
DATE: PERSON REPORTING:
TIME RECEIVED: PERSON RECEIVING:
PAGE #:
District:
Team:
Incident:
BURNING
OUT
GASLEAK
WATERLEAK
ELECTRIC
CHEMICAL
DAMAGED*
TRAPPED
MINOR(green)
DELAYED(yellow)
IMMEDIATE(red)
DEAD(black)
ACCESS
NOACCESS
ASSIGNMENT
COMPLETED
Message Precedence:
Emergency
Priority
Welfare
Routine
L M H # # # # # / X
TIME ADDRESS / LOCATION FIRES HAZARDS STRUCTURES PEOPLE ** ROADS IC COMMENTS
TOTAL
FOR USE BY EVERYONE PANDA form July 26, 2007
Summary of all hazards in area: Fill out this sheet on your way to the Command Post and give it to Incident Command.
* for structure damage: L=light damage, M=moderate damage, H=heavy damage
** for people: number of people trapped or injured; minor (green), delayed (yellow), immediate (red), dead (black)
Incident Command (IC): Choose an incident; put a slash (/) in the assignment completed column, copy the address/location to the incident name section on the
Incident Briefing sheet, and give Incident Briefing and Assignment Status to incident team leader. Copy the address/location to the Post-Incident Status
sheet and enter the start time.
When an Assignment is Completed: Put a backslash () in the assignment completed column (X) and the incident end time on the Post-Incident Status sheet.
12/05/16 10PAN / PANDA Damage
Assessment

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Damage Assessment Form
• Same form used by PAN & PANDA to
– Record
– Communicate
– Track
• Efficient
– Record & move on
– Report critical incidents immediately
(incidents beyond your control)
– Report non-critical incidents later
– Communicate info left to right

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Fires / Hazards
• Fires
– Burning / Out
– Threatening to spread?
• Gas Leak
– Can you smell gas?
• Water Leak
– Is the road blocked?
• Chemical
– Strange smell? / Unusual smoke?
• Electrical
– Downed power lines?
– Is the road blocked?

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Assessment
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Structural Damage
• LightLight
– Broken windows / superficial damage
– Fallen / cracked plaster
– Minor damage to contents
• ModerateModerate
– Visible signs of damage but structure still attached to
foundation.
– Decorative work damaged or fallen.
– Major damage to interior contents.
• HeavyHeavy
– Partial or total collapse of structure
– Structure no longer attached to foundation
– Tilting / Obvious structural instability.
– Hazards: Fire / Gas Leaks / Hazardous materials / Rising water
• How many? (multi-unit structures)

14. Light Damage
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Assessment
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Minor Content
Damage

15. ModerateModerate DamageDamage
12/05/16 PAN / PANDA Damage
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Heavy
Content
Damage

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ModerateModerate Damage
Non-Structural (decorative)
work has fallen

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Assessment
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Heavy Damage
Tilting
Total Wall
Collapse

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PAN - People
• How many?
– Trapped
– Minor Injuries
• Cuts, bruises, sprains
– Immediate Aid Needed
• Life threatening injuries
• Shock, severe blood loss, breathing problems
• Describe injuries in Comments column
– Dead
• Get the Big Picture
– Rough numbers are okay

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Assessment
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PANDA - People
• How many?
– Trapped
– Minor Injuries
• Cuts, bruises, sprains
– Delayed
• Injuries require treatment but not Immediate
– Immediate
• RPM Criteria
– Respiration – breathing faster than 30 breaths per minute.
– Pulse – severe bleeding or blanch test (capillary refill) slower than
2 seconds.
– Mental status – cannot respond to simple commands
• Examples: Shock, severe blood loss, breathing problems
• Describe injuries in Comments column
– Dead
• Get the Big Picture
– Rough numbers are okay

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Other Columns
• Roads
– Access for emergency equipment?
• Assignment Completed
– mark column “/” if you report immediately
• Comments
– Describe injuries and other information to help
PANDA plan response.
• Use multiple rows on form if necessary