How fast should you triage a building?

• A. 5-10 minutes per building
• B. 1-2 minutes per building
• C. 30-60 minutes per building
• D. 5-10 seconds per building

Answer: (A)

Triage time per building is about balancing speed with getting enough information to make smart decisions. In a multi-structure collapse scenario, you need enough of a quick size-up to determine if a building presents life hazards, what the stability looks like, where entry points might be, and how you’ll allocate teams for search or rescue. About 5-10 minutes per building gives you that essential snapshot: you can note key structural concerns, access and egress, obvious hazards (gas, water, electrical, fall hazards), and likely victim locations without tying up the operation in one place. Spending far less time risks missing critical clues and misprioritizing, while spending much more slows the whole incident and can leave other structures unassessed. So, the most appropriate pace is 5-10 minutes per building.