Course Overview, Course Goal, and Objectives

Welcome to the Bridge Damage Considerations course.

The course will provide an overview of bridge considerations regarding project eligibility.

By the end of the course, State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Applicants and Recipients will be able to describe all bridge considerations for the Public Assistance Program and project eligibility.

Upon successfully completing the course, participants will be able to:

  • Describe Public Assistance policy and guidance related to bridges
  • Identify the documentation requirements for bridges to receive Public Assistance grant funding
  • Discuss the eligibility considerations for Emergency Work on bridges to receive Public Assistance grant funding
  • Discuss the eligibility considerations for Permanent Work on bridges to receive Public Assistance grant funding
Select this link to access the Public Assistance acronym list.
Lesson 1 Overview and Objectives

This lesson includes an overview of the course and its objectives, as well as an explanation that the information provided in this course is applicable to bridges 20 feet or longer and refers participants to the IS-1011 Roads and Culverts course for bridges that do not meet that length.

At the end of this lesson, participants will be able to:

  • Identify administrative requirements of the course
  • State the goals and objectives of the course
  • Identify the technical expertise required to repair, replace, or rebuild bridges
Assumptions

The content in this course applies only to bridges that are 20 feet or longer, otherwise refer to the IS-1011 Roads and Culverts course. This is because any bridge less than 20 feet long is basically a road.

The Hale Boggs Memorial Bridge crossing the Mississippi River in Louisiana with an earthen levee below the bridge.
Technical Expertise

The type of technical expertise required to repair, replace, or rebuild bridges are FEMA Specialized Engineers. Throughout bridge projects, the role of the FEMA technical experts or specialized engineers are to perform damage assessments, prepare scope of work, and evaluate pre-existing condition of the bridge for compliance with safety standards.

A FEMA Public Assistance inspector looks at the damage to the 180 feet of washed out bridge.
Lesson 1 Summary

In this lesson, you learned how to:

  • Identify Administrative requirements of the course
  • State the goals and objectives of the course
  • Identify the technical expertise required to repair, replace, or rebuild bridges

The next lesson will discuss the processes involved in documenting the pre-disaster condition and disaster-related damages for bridges to be eligible for Public Assistance grant funding.