http://www.airlineamb.org/TopLevel/3_Programs/CASA_Corps

The CASA Initiative

The CASA Corps Program of Airline Ambassadors has been an ongoing operation since the 2001 Santa Tecla earthquake devastated much of El Salvador. The endeavors to communicate building technology in needed countries to reduce the effects of natural disasters.


Fire Chief from Las Cruses New Mexico and President of the ICC instructing in Ecuador	American architect inspecting disaster reconstruction in El Salvador

The constant evolution and implementation of modern building codes and standards must be undertaken at many levels; from workers skill sets, to a municipal capacity that oversees implementation of such information technology to building owners and lenders who insist upon technical sophistication during construction to protect their investments. City and economic planners must seek useful technologies to create economies of scale in their communities.

SOMETHING NEW

Bringing technical training programs to developing nations is not a novel concept. In fact, there are many examples of this over the past 30 years in the disaster relief and development community. Unfortunately, despite many attempts by these programs to address this issue, developing nations remain more vulnerable to the consequences of inadequate construction than developed nations; and the gap continues to widen exponentially despite the infusion of hundreds of millions of dollars in reconstruction projects by countries that contribute to the global development community.

Airline Ambassadors tried to bridge this gap by creating a context for professionals to share their modern construction and building code skills and match world resources to world need. Our members share their skills to help local communities understand how to establish and sustain a technically modern building “life safety” (building code) culture.

HISTORY

The CASA Corps Program grew out of an initiative by Airline Ambassadors, to bring humanitarian assistance to countries following natural disasters. Through working with Kiwanis El Salvador, a humanitarian business service club the founders of the CASA Corps program are practitioners in the building and construction industry.

Following the 2001 earthquake in El Salvador that killed over 2,000 people, members of Airline Ambassadors , approached U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd who drafted the Codes And Safety of the Americas (CASA) Act. The Act authorized a sustainable program through the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to assist countries in dealing with the mitigation of disasters, by training appropriate professionals in Latin America from both the public and private sectors to enhance their understanding of building design, codes and standards. The program also provided for the translation of model building codes, standards and publications that address zoning, egress, fire and life safety, plumbing, sewage, sanitation, electrical installation, mechanical installation, structural engineering and seismic design that would enhance the educational, commercial and municipal capacities of these countries per building code training and implementation.


US contractor inspecting fire damaged congress building in Ecuador	El Salvador Inspection and Documentation

PROGRAM ACTIVITIES

1) Early 2005 Airline Ambassadors coordinated a publication entitled “The Essential Elements of a Building Code”, which was based upon the 1997 Uniform building code published by ICBO /ICC.

2) Earthquake Resistant Housing construction manual for popular housing. It is currently published in both English and Spanish, French , and pending additional funding, is easily transferable to other languages


Meeting with El Salvador architects and engineering association	Joint lectures with USA and Ecuadorian Fire Chief

Technical Exchange Programs

Airline Ambassador Construction Manuals

Earthquake Resistant Housing (English and Spanish, pdf, 22 MB)

Earthquake Resistant Housing (French, pdf, 17 MB)

Airline Ambassadors has initiated and jointly developed the International Code Council’s “Essential Elements of a Building Code".

RELEVANT ARTICLES AND PRESENTATIONS

Program to Improve Building Construction and Practices in Latin American Countries - Appropriations

Foreign Relations Authorization Act, 2003

Mi Casa Es Su Casa, Architectural Magazine

Think Global - Architecture Magazine editorial, Jan.2003

Building Disaster Prevention into the Cultural Fabric of the Developing World

El Salvador is Lesson in How Not to Rebuild - Wall Street Journal, Jan.2005

Stephen Forneris AIA and David Rivard, Steel Reinforcing Inc.

Tsunami and U.S. Relief Briefing, January 26, 2005, Statement of Hon. Tom Lantos, Ranking Democratic Member House International Relations Committee

The Developing World and Natural Disasters: Who Will Provide Leadership?

Stephen Forneris, AIA

ASTM Standardization News (pdf), April 2003

Sending Reinforcements (pdf) Feb.2002

ASTM Article on the CASA Act (pdf)

CASA Corps and the Developing World, Is it Wrong to Ask for Help on Building Codes?, Stephen Forneris, March-April 2001


Airline ambassador members with Senator Christopher Dodd	Airline ambassador Ecuadorian Television Appearance


Airline Ambassadors based their work inEcuador on A UN funded study.	Airline Ambassador members inspect fire damage in the Ecuadorian congress building.


	US reconstruction housing with US building professionals


The glass wall to the right protects an infant critical care ward, the windows are taped in hope that it will keep them from killing the children in the next quake, unfortunately the take will do very little. A reinforcing project was stopped half way up the building on the right and the building remains just as venerable as it was at the time of the 2001 earthquake.	This 300 bed children's hospital in El Salvador is the only one of it kind in the country, yet significant damage goes un checked after the 2001 earthquake. The Airline ambassador team found the building in a form that would have been condemned in the US because it was unsafe, yet it is in continued use.