Integrated Rapid Visual Screening (IRVS) for Tunnels is a software-facilitated procedure for assessing the risk to tunnels from natural and human-caused hazards that have the potential to cause catastrophic losses. Using the tool requires dowloading and installing software on a computer or tablet running the Windows® operating system.

Completing the IRVS procedure for a tunnel results in a quantifiable assessment of the risk of a given tunnel to a terrorist attack or natural disaster leading to catastrophic losses (fatalities, injuries, damage, or business interruption) and a quantifiable assessment of the resiliency of the tunnel (ability to recover from such an event). Risk is determined by evaluating key building characteristics for consequences, threats, and vulnerabilities. A tunnel is defined as a passageway through or under an obstruction, such as a city, mountain, river, or harbor. Assessment is based on features that can be observed during a visual inspection. The knowledge for calculating both risk and resilience is embedded in the tool.

For natural hazards, the tool uses probability of occurrence to calculate risk. Risk is a product of consequences multiplied by threats multiplied by vulnerabilities. Resilience is computed from a combination of robustness, resourcefulness, and recovery factors based on information such as hardening, training, and redundancies. Information obtained from the IRVS analysis can be used by law enforcement agencies, emergency managers, facility managers, engineers, and architects to support higher-level assessments and mitigation measures.

The intended audience for this tool includes transportation authorities; city, county, and state officials; emergency managers; law enforcement personnel, facility managers, security consultants; and engineers, architects, and other design professionals.

The IRVS family of tools includes integrated capabilities for assessing mass transit, tunnels, and buildings in one software package. This facilitates data collection and functions as an effective data management tool. Assessors can use the software on a PC tablet or laptop to systematically collect, store, and report screening data.