EXEMPLARY PRACTICES IN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
Residential Seismic Voluntary Program (RSVP)
Program Description: RSVP provides user-friendly information and assistance on improving resistance to the effects of earthquakes. Residential homeowners or tenants in older homes with four or fewer units and three or fewer stories built on perimeter foundations or without any foundation can use this service. City staff estimate there are more than 10,000 such homes within the city of Santa Barbara. History has shown that such homes, lacking anchor bolts, foundations, or bracing of cripple walls within crawl spaces, are often seriously damaged or destroyed for lack of these simple repairs or improvements. In 1993 Santa Barbara produced a preapproved engineering plan for repair of these homes. The plan provides the user with instructions, general notes, and inspection requirements, and gives the user the flexibility to customize the plan to meet his or her needs. RSVP offers inspections to determine if the work is necessary and, if it is, inspection staff assist the owner in completing the plan for permit approval. The plan eliminates costly engineering and drafting expenses; therefore more homeowners are able to undertake the work. Permit approval is performed over the counter. The permit and approved plan enable the homeowner to obtain competitive bids and to be assured that the work is performed in accordance with recognized standards. Public workshops are held twice yearly, and several hundred persons attend each. The city uses water bill inserts (mailed to all city residents) to advertise the program.
Evaluation Information: More than 300 homes have been retrofitted or submitted for retrofit in a 3-year period. The program has received recognition from the California Seismic Safety Commission, Insurance Institute for Property Loss Reduction, and local media. Los Angeles and San Leandro have followed the program.
Annual Budget: Approximately $500 for promotion.
Sources of Funding: Funding comes entirely from material suppliers who are charged to display their products at RSVP homeowner and contractor workshops. The contractors are charged $50, and receive a certificate.
Program Type: Improving seismic resistance to earthquakes in older homes.
Target Population: Residential homeowners or tenants in homes (with four units or fewer) built before 1960 without foundations, anchor bolts, or cripple wall (a short wall that connects the foundation to the floor of the house and encloses the crawl space) bracing.
Setting: Citywide (population 90,000).
Project Startup Date: 1993.
Contact:
Robert Sedivy
Acting Building Official
City of Santa Barbara
Community Development Department
Building and Safety Division
630 Garden Street
P.O. Box 1990
Santa Barbara, CA 93102-1990
Tel: 805-564-5485
Fax: 805-564-5476
Last Modified: Thursday, 30-Mar-2006 10:07:51 EST