About Us

Earthquakes, windstorms, and floods pose serious risks to residents and businesses in Washington State. To prepare for and respond to such events, we formed the Washington Safety Assessment Facility Evaluators (WAsafe) Coalition, a group of volunteer engineers, architects, building officials, building inspectors and other trained professionals who can assist local building officials with assessing buildings for safe occupancy following a natural disaster. 

Following a large-scale event, such as a major earthquake, WAsafe volunteers will be deployed at the direction of the Washington Emergency Management Division (EMD) to the local agencies who request assistance with building safety assessments. For a smaller event, WAsafe may respond to requests for assistance from a regional or local emergency management agency.

WAsafe is organized and run by a coalition of professional organizations that trains volunteers and manages volunteer enrollment in the WAserv database. The WAsafe Coalition operates under a Memorandum of Understanding with the Emergency Management Division of the Washington State Military Department. The professional organizations participating in the WAsafe Coalition include:

• Washington Association of Building Officials
• Structural Engineers Association of Washington
• American Society of Civil Engineers, Seattle Section
• American Institute of Architects, Washington Council