Washington safe school: Seismic safety project

This study aims to assess the seismic safety of 222 permanent, public, K–12 school buildings in Washington State. This assessment is based on local geology and the engineering and construction of the buildings. DNR geologists assessed site-specific geology to determine the National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program (NEHRP) site class category at each school campus. Structural engineers performed American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) 41-17 Tier 1 seismic screening evaluations, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) 154 Rapid Visual Screenings (RVS), and Earthquake Performance Assessment Tool (EPAT) assessments on 222 individual school buildings and five fire stations located within one mile of a school. Following the completion of the seismic screening evaluations, 15 of the 222 school buildings were selected to receive more detailed concept-level seismic upgrade designs and seismic upgrade cost estimates.