What risk level is characterized by soft first-story collapse?

The risk level characterized by soft first-story collapse is typically classified as a medium risk level. In scenarios of structural collapse, particularly with buildings that exhibit a soft first-story failure, there is a greater potential for rapid and severe structural failure, which increases the danger to occupants and rescuers.

A soft first-story collapse often occurs in buildings where the ground floor is significantly weaker compared to upper stories, leading to a risk of total collapse in a sudden manner, which can trap individuals and complicate rescue efforts. This collapse scenario may not be as extreme as those characterized by complete structural failure across the entire building, which may be classified as high risk, but it does pose a considerable danger, justifying its medium risk classification.

Thus, while low risk levels might involve very stable structures or conditions with minimal potential for collapse and no risk would suggest no threat whatsoever, medium risk acknowledges the inherent dangers associated with such scenarios as a soft first-story failure.