For Immediate Release: May 9, 2025
CONTACT: dobcommunications@buildings.nyc.gov, (212) 393-2126

DEPARTMENT OF BUILDINGS HOLDS ANNUAL FULL-SCALE EMERGENCY RESPONSE DRILL IN QUEENS

Professional Engineers, Registered Architects and Building Inspectors Take Part in Disaster Response Training Exercises to Bolster City’s Emergency Response

New York, NY – Earlier today, the Department of Buildings (DOB) along with participants from the Fire Department (FDNY), NYC Emergency Management (NYCEM), Housing Preservation & Development (HPD) and Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) concluded the 2025 New York City Continuity of Operations (COOP) Full Scale Exercise Training, a 10-day disaster preparedness program held annually at DOB Buildings University, Manhattan, and in Fort Totten, Queens. Spearheaded by DOB’s Emergency Management Unit, this training event for emergency response professionals includes rehearsals of emergency protocols for wide-scale natural disasters affecting buildings in an urban environment.

“No one enjoys thinking about disasters, but preparing for them is essential to ensuring New Yorkers’ safety. Having an efficient way to inspect the more than one million buildings in our city is a crucial part of that prep,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Jeff Roth.  “As a National Guard Colonel who responded during Hurricane Sandy, I know firsthand how critical these exercises are, and how invaluable these hardworking men and women are for our city’s future. We are deeply grateful for your diligence and care.”

“We are reminded time and again that impactful weather events can have devastating effects on our city, and for the safety of our fellow New Yorkers this agency must be ready to respond at any time,” said Buildings Commissioner Jimmy Oddo. “DOB’s engineers, architects, and inspectors are recognized across the country as safety industry leaders thanks in part to the rigorous training we require of them. It’s training programs like this that ensures that we have the expertise we need, when it matters most.”

The practical damage assessment training and emergency logistic protocols taught during this program are a critical component of the Department’s ability to respond to large-scale natural disasters. These training exercises enable DOB engineers and inspectors to quickly assess and document thousands of structures over a vast region and intervene at structurally damaged buildings that endanger the public. The Department's emergency response professionals used these skills in Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2004, tornado damage in Brooklyn and Queens in 2007, Superstorm Sandy in New York City in 2012, Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in 2017, devastating earthquakes in Puerto Rico in 2020, Hurricane Ida in New York City in 2021, Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico in 2022, and during torrential storms that impacted New York City in September 2023 and again in August 2024.

More than 150 emergency responders took part in this year’s full-scale exercises at DOB headquarters and FDNY’s facilities at Fort Totten. This training mirrors smaller training exercises conducted by DOB throughout the year. Regular COOP trainings like this provide a proactive playbook for city agencies and our partner organizations during recovery operations. In addition to DOB, FDNY’s EMS Academy helped to coordinate and plan this year’s field segment of exercises.

“Ensuring our city is prepared for whatever catastrophe comes our way is crucial to public safety, and training with our agency partners is what helps guarantee success,” said Fire Commissioner Robert S. Tucker. “Using all of the tools in our shed – like our drones – in these training exercises will bolster our ability to work seamlessly with our partners and help keep our city safe.”

“This Full-Scale Continuity of Operations Exercise with the Department of Buildings and other agency partners is a crucial training for future large-scale disaster response and recovery operations,” said NYCEM Commissioner Zach Iscol. “During this exercise, this multi-agency team was able to sharpen their damage assessment training, emergency logistic protocols, and mapping technology to respond to impacted areas quickly. I want to thank everyone involved for furthering New York City’s readiness in the event of a disaster.”

“The COOP training provides important experience for the building industry to get hands-on training for emergency response. Structural engineers have an important role in post-disaster building damage assessment and the COOP training helps us prepare and be ready for when the city needs us,” said Structural Engineers Association of New York (SEAoNY) President Christina Chu-Garcia.

Each year the exercises include simulated field operations and structural damage assessment training using real buildings in various stages of disrepair located around Fort Totten. These practical exercises incorporate training on the use of the latest mapping and logistics technologies that are used to improve New York City’s readiness in the event of a major disaster. In addition, participants study and implement the latest strategies and lessons learned by DOB experts during previous emergency events.

Topics of training include review of building damage assessments procedures per nationally recognized Applied Technology Council Standard Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and NYC Construction Codes requirements, the use of ArcGIS/Esri mapping technology, the Citywide Incident Management System (CIMS), and effective communication tactics in the aftermath of a disaster.