As Europe works towards a safer and more resilient building stock, professionals need practical knowledge and tools to respond effectively when disasters affect buildings. Within the European SHAKE UP project, Shake Up Academia will deliver training activities in different participating countries. This article focuses on the Spanish Academia, dedicated to the inspection and assessment of buildings affected by disasters.

Led by the Instituto Valenciano de la Edificación (IVE), the course offers 25 teaching hours in a 100% online format through the IVE Virtual Classroom, and is delivered entirely in Spanish, with videos, presentations, technical documentation and practical resources.

Understanding the emergency and regulatory framework

The programme is closely linked to the emergency-management system of the Comunitat Valenciana. The Territorial Emergency Plan of the Comunitat Valenciana (PTECV) provides for the mobilisation of specific organisational units in the event of a disaster, including the Basic Damage Assessment and Recovery Unit (UBEDR). Within this structure, the Building Group is responsible for assessing damage to buildings.

The course begins with the main regulatory and territorial frameworks for emergency management, including the Territorial Emergency Plan and the special plans for flood, seismic and forest-fire risks. It also addresses the territorial and urban-planning context of the areas affected by the October 2024 DANA in Valencia and introduces the assessment of seismic vulnerability in the Comunitat Valenciana.

Another key topic is the Management and Coordination Protocol for the inspection and assessment of buildings affected by disasters, which explains how inspection activities are organised and coordinated when an emergency affects a large number of buildings.

From inspection to digital assessment

A central part of the training is the Technical Protocol for the inspection and assessment of buildings affected by disasters, together with the forms and procedures used by technical inspectors.

Participants are introduced to the TIC–TAC system, which provides a standardised method for collecting and analysing information during post-disaster inspections. The TIC Disaster Inspection Table includes information such as building access, preventive measures, inspection teams, the type of disaster, building identification and damage description. The TAC Disaster Analysis Table complements this information with a more detailed analysis of damage, results and validation.

The practical approach is reinforced through completed examples of TIC–TAC forms, including a single-family building affected by fire, a multi-family residential building affected by flooding and a non-residential building with total fire damage.

Digitalisation also plays an important role. The course introduces the GSHEET version of the TIC–TAC forms, a preview of the TIC v.4 mobile application, and SIF – Earthquake, Flood and Fire, a web tool for identifying and coding damage caused by disasters. These resources show how digital tools can support more systematic and consistent inspection and documentation processes.

Prevention, resilience and lessons from real emergencies

The programme also covers urgent preventive measures that may be required immediately after a disaster, supported by technical guidance on shoring and other temporary safety actions.

Beyond emergency response, the Academy addresses how to improve the resilience of buildings against future events. Participants have access to the Guide for Strengthening the Resilience of Buildings against Flooding and the Guide for the Prevention of Earthquake Damage in Schools, linking post-disaster assessment with prevention and risk reduction.

The course also incorporates information and recommendations developed from real emergency situations, including materials on flood damage and guidance for actions to be taken before repairing and rehabilitating buildings affected by the 2024 DANA in Valencia.

In this way, Shake Up Academia Spain combines regulatory knowledge, coordination protocols, technical inspection procedures, digital tools, preventive measures and practical lessons from recent disasters.

Participants must complete an online multiple-choice test to obtain the Certificate of Completion. Those who successfully pass the assessment may also be included in the list of volunteer professionals forming part of the UBEDR Building Group, linking the knowledge acquired during the course with its potential application in future emergency situations.

Registration is currently open, and there is still time to join the 2026 edition of Shake Up Academia in Spain. Register now and take part in this specialised training on post-disaster building assessment, safety and resilience.