Safety Assessment Program (SAP) Evaluator Training 2025 | September 24-25
AIAU25-SAP03
6.5
LU|HSW
Live course date: 09/24/2025 | 12:00 PM
Description
Intended for licensed architects, engineers, or certified building inspectors, this training certifies attendees as Building Evaluators in the nationally recognized Safety Assessment Program (SAP).
- September 24-25, 2025 | 12 - 4pm ET / 9am-1pm PT
- To register | Click Add to cart and complete the checkout process.
- Evaluator Field Manuals | ATC 45 | ATC 20 | Participants are responsible for purchasing these texts from ATC. They are not included in the course cost.
The program is managed by Cal OES with cooperation from professional organizations, including AIA. It utilizes volunteers and mutual aid resources to provide professional engineers, architects and certified building inspectors to assist local governments in safety evaluation of their built environment in an aftermath of a disaster. SAP is the training standard of the AIA Disaster Assistance Program, which provides leadership, advocacy, and training to architects who are interested in volunteering their professional skills in times of crisis. This workshop will teach participants to conduct rapid damage assessments of structures affected by earthquakes, wind, and water. Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to consistently and safely assess structures for habitability and will receive a nationally recognized Cal OES registration ID card from the state of California.
Learning Objectives
Recognize the important role architects and associated building professionals play in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery.
Accurately conduct a post-disaster rapid building assessment and complete appropriate damage assessment forms.
Demonstrate understanding of the Applied Technology Council’s ATC 20 Post-earthquake Safety Evaluation of Buildings and ATC 45 Safety Evaluation of Buildings after Windstorms and Floods damage assessment procedures.
Explain the features of the Incident Command System (ICS) and National Incident Management System (NIMS), including how SAP and other requirements fit within those systems to support disaster response.
Certification process
After successfully completing both days of the AIA’s SAP training, eligible individuals will need to fill out the Cal OES registration form in order to receive their California-issued registration ID card.
To earn AIA CE LUs for this course, participants must attend both live sessions and complete the 38-question quiz. Purchase of this course is non-refundable.
Not yet licensed? While this training is intended for licensed architects, engineers, or certified building inspectors, we encourage students and emerging professionals to take the training. Completing the training provides early exposure to the importance of disaster assistance and helps build a sustainable pipeline of future and certified professionals that can serve as Building Evaluators. If you become licensed within 5 years of successfully completing the training, you are eligible to be certified and receive a Cal-OES registration ID Card. In the meantime, you will be able to participate in deployments under the supervision of a licensed and certified architect.
Course registrations are non-refundable. No transfers to future SAP training sessions will be permitted less than a week before the scheduled session.
Behrooz (Ben) Emam is a registered architect, a civil engineer, and a certified facility manager, with over thirty years of experience in architectural and structural engineering, emergency preparedness, and facilities management. He has Masters Degrees in Architecture and Civil Engineering from University of Nebraska - Lincoln.
Ben is the principal at Emam Consulting and Educational Services (ECES) and was previously the Manager of Civil & Structural Group at AWS. Before rejoining Amazon for a second time, Ben was the Assistant Vice President and Senior Engineering Manager – Construction Services with Parsons Brinckerhoff.
Ben was a 25-year adjunct faculty member of the University of Washington, Department of Construction Management. He regularly taught classes in Construction and Facilities Management and conducted seminars on seismic preparedness and disaster planning. Ben was also building inspection volunteer after the San Francisco (Loma Prieta), Los Angeles (Northridge), and Seattle (Nisqually) earthquakes, and the recipient of the Seattle AIA 2001 - Community Service Award.
Rachel Minnery, FAIA is an architect and currently Risk and Resilience Manager at Amazon Web Services. She was formerly the Senior Director of Resilience, Adaptation and Disaster Assistance at The American Institute of Architects (AIA) developing policy, design guides, and education for the organization’s 95,000 members and the building industry. Rachel’s previous experience includes design and management in the non-profit and private sectors focusing on environmentally and socially responsible design. She is the co-founder of Architects Without Borders Seattle and has led groups of building safety volunteers to disaster-stricken places.