PN 302 Collapsed Structures

Question 1

List and describe the 4 types of internal collapse…

Answer 1

1) Pancake collapse - failure of load bearing walls causing horizontal fall of floor.
2) Lean to collapse - One wall fails and beam falls at one end. Triangle gap for survivors.
3) V Collapse - Fails at centre of floor. Normally caused by upper floor collapse or heavy object.
4) Tent collapse - Beams fail near outer wall but load bearing wall or girder remains intact.

Question 2

Name and describe the 3 types of external collapse and the most severe type of collapse…

Answer 2

1) 90 degree angle collapse - wall falls outwards for at least the distance of its height.
2) Curtain fall collapse - part of the wall falls straight down creating debris pile at the base.
3) Inward/Outward collapse - Horizontal crack causes top of wall to fall inward and bottom outward.
* Total Collapse - all floors collapsed to ground and all walls collapsed onto floors.

Question 3

List the 5 USAR modules…

Answer 3

1) Structural Collapse
2) Major Transport
3) Breaching and Breaking
4) Multi Purpose Vehicle
5) Timber

Question 4

Detail the six stages of rescue at a collapsed structure incident…

Answer 4

1) Reconnaissance and survey
2) Elimination of utilities
3) Primary surface search and rescue
4) Exploration of voids and spaces
5) Access by selected debris removal
6) Terminate by general debris removal