Fire, Flood & Storm Damage Structural Engineer in Oregon
When a building is damaged by fire, a storm, a flood or a car through the wall, two questions come first: is it safe, and what will it take to fix? Johnson Broderick Engineering is a fire damage structural engineer and storm damage structural engineer in Oregon. We step in quickly to assess the structure, advise on stabilization, document what we find and prepare the permit drawings for the repair. Recent examples include the Oakwood Manor Apartments fire rebuild and a senior apartment fire repair in Newport.
Damage we assess and repair
- Fire damage
- Flood and water damage
- Storm damage
- Tree strikes
- Snow damage
- Vehicle strikes
- Mold and rot
Disaster restorations — fire, flood, mold, rot and vehicle strikes — are on the list of work that calls for an engineer in Oregon. A contractor can’t simply put the damaged framing back the way it was without the repair being designed and permitted.
How a fire or storm damage structural engineer helps
- Immediate assessment. We visit the structure and assess the damage.
- Stabilization. We give advice and recommendations for structural stabilization or other temporary measures to keep the situation safe while repairs are arranged. Scaffolding design and emergency shoring are also on our list of services.
- Field sketches. We prepare field sketches of the structure that needs repair — useful to the owner, the restoration contractor and the insurance adjuster.
- Permit drawings. We design the repair and prepare the sealed calculations and permit drawings.
- Through construction. We answer contractor questions during the repair and see it through to the jurisdiction closing out the permit.
Working with insurers and restoration contractors
About a tenth of our work comes from insurance companies, and we have worked with restoration contractors on many damaged structures over the years. We understand that the adjuster needs clear documentation, the contractor needs drawings they can build from, and the owner needs the building back. We are usually brought in by the restoration contractor or the insurer, and sometimes by the owner directly.
After an earthquake
We have taken FEMA courses in post-earthquake observation, which lets us perform rapid visual screening of affected structures to help decide whether they can be occupied after an event.
Common questions
Can you come out right away?
Emergencies happen, and we can be called on for advice and recommendations on stabilization and temporary measures to keep a situation safe. Call the main line, 541-338-9488, and tell us it’s damage-related. If we can’t get to the phone, leave a message — we will call you back, the same day if possible.
Does my insurance company need an engineer's report?
Often, yes — especially when structural framing, foundations or roof structure are involved. We provide the assessment, field sketches and repair drawings the claim and the permit usually need.
Can the contractor just rebuild what was there?
Usually not without an engineered, permitted repair. Disaster restoration is one of the triggers for an engineer in Oregon, and what was there before may not meet the current code. A header that never moved may still fail under the code provisions the building department reviews against.
Related projects
Siletz Tribal Office Remodel
Eugene: Permit drawings to reclad, re-window and update an office building for the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, approved by the City in under three weeks.
Veneta Food Truck Plaza Dining Hall
Veneta: Repairing rot-damaged floor framing and permitting an older wood-framed building in phases so it can serve as indoor dining for a food truck plaza.
Coos Bay Hall Building – Egress Stair
Coos Bay: a new five-floor steel egress stair tower for the 1928 Hall Building, on drilled piles through about 100 feet of bay mud to bedrock.
Oakwood Manor Apartments Fire Rebuild
Eugene: A fire-damaged six-unit apartment building rebuilt to current code with new trusses, an accessible unit, sprinklers and restored stairs and walkways.
Market of Choice Loading Dock Canopy
Eugene: A steel moment-frame expansion of a grocery store’s loading dock canopy, designed for snow drift and joined to the existing structure, completed in 2020.
Valley River Center Seismic Upgrade Inspection
Eugene: special inspection of micropiles, shotcrete walls, welding and post-tensioning on the seismic upgrade of a former department store.