Welcome to the EF Scale training page. WDTD is hosting two courses: The EF Scale course and the Damage Assessment Toolkit course.

Training resources

• EF Scale course -

  updated in 2020. This course gives you an introduction to the EF scale and a process to apply EF-ratings to damaged structures. This course has two lessons, two case studies and a final quiz in the LMS. The two case studies, narrated by experts in the NWS field, help you practice what you've learned in the lessons.

  In each lesson, please access the references tab (upper right) to access the link to the EF kit and the EF scale document to help you answer some of the questions.

  There are some changes since the EF-Scale training has been started in 2007. The EFkit has been improved to include more pictures and an easier interface for those using tablet PCs. The new EFkit features a front page with links to the training modules and a glossary of construction terms found in the EF-Scale Damage Indicator descriptions. Two case studies have been added as separate lessons.

  Accompanying the lessons, the EFkit is available for use in training or in the field. It is a tool to help you become more familiar with the EF scale as you take the lessons and as you conduct a real damage survey.

   

  NOAA employees and affiliates: To receive credit for completing the EF-Scale Training, you must take the EF-Scale course by requesting and launching the curriculum in the Commerce Learning Center!

  
  
  Please take the lessons in the order below before taking the quiz.

1. Lesson 1: Introducing the Enhanced Fujita Scale - online
   • LMS version
   • Web version
   • raw powerpoint - 2 mb
2. Lesson 2 Damage Surveys with the Enhanced Fujita Scale - online
   • LMS version
   • Web version
   • raw powerpoint - 12 mb
3. End of course quiz in the LMS. A score of 80% is required to pass.

• The new EFkit: A PC-based tool kit, version 2 updated 2008- 120 mb zipped file
  The legacy EFkit, version 1.1 - 8 mb zipped file.
  
  
  
• The Damage Assessment Toolkit (DAT) Course
  This course is new as of 2020 and is meant to be taken by NOAA employees intending to use the DAT. The goal of this course is to introduce you to using the DAT and best practices for surveying using this tool.

Additional resources

1. The EF-scale page at SPC - http://www.spc.noaa.gov/efscale/
2. The EF-scale report by McDonald and Mehta: http://www.depts.ttu.edu/nwi/Pubs/FScale/EFScale.pdf
3. The Post-Storm Data Acquisition page (internal NOAA site): https://sites.google.com/a/noaa.gov/nws-psda/home
4. The Guide to F-Scale Damage Assessment:
   also at https://meted.ucar.edu/resource/wcm/ftp/FinalNWSF-scaleAssessmentGuide.pdf
5. The WCM resource center at UCAR: https://meted.ucar.edu/resource/wcm/

Acknowledgements

WDTD thanks the following for helping to develop the EF-Scale training:

1. Steve Kuhl, MIC, NWS, Quad Cities, IA/IL
2. Brian Smith, WCM, NWS, Valley, NE
3. Dan McCarthy, WCM, NWS/SPC
4. Kishor Mehta, Paul Whitfield Horn Professor, Texas Tech University
5. Jim McDonald, Professor emeritus, Texas Tech University
6. Greg Stumpf, NWS/MDL
7. Tim Marshall, HAAG Engineering
8. Michael Smith, NWS/OCWWS
9. Chris Maier, National WCM for the NWS
10. Don Burgess, OU/CIMMS
11. External Reviewers: Tom Matheson (WCM - NWS MTR), Rick Smith (WCM - NWS OUN), Gary Woodall (WCM - NWS FTW), Steve Amburn (SOO - NWS TUL)

WDTD also thanks the following contributors to the DAT course

1. Parks Camp, SOO, NWS Tallahassee, FL
2. Lori Schultz, Research Scientist, NASA SPoRT
3. External Reviewers: Robert LaPlante (SOO - NWS CLE), Steve Nelson (SOO - NWS FFC), David Nadler (WCM - NWS FFC), Anthony Sturey (WCM - NWS GSP), Chris Maier (National WCM)