Firefighters Tackle Earthquake Training

As part of a special training Thursday, CAL FIRE firefighters installed a “raker shore” against an exterior wall of a rundown triplex. The raker shore is designed to prevent the wall from crumbling, especially after a major earthquake has occurred.

“We need to stabilize the building and then go in and either pull people out or go in and search and perform rescues,” said Engineer Kevin McNally.

There are two types of shores: hydraulic shores and wood shores.

This unique training regarding earthquake procedures takes place twice a year.

Special preparations are made to keep the scenario realistic. For example, drill instructors purposely damage the structure’s interior as if an earthquake did it.

“We took the corners of the wall as if we had that vibration motion of an earthquake so that it would slip off that foundations and come out towards us,” explained Capt. Greg Belk.

Preparing for this type of emergency is vital not only because the “Big One” is predicted to rock the Coachella Valley someday, but also because the valley is a desert.

“We do have a high-water table,” said McNally. “We do worry about the ground shifting. Buildings do collapse or sink into the soil.”

The shore drills continue next week. The training site was an abandoned 10-unit triplex which the city of Palm Desert owned.