Building Safety, Fire Prevention Codes to Be Debated at ICC Meeting
December 29, 2007 // Published as a news service by IHS
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Building safety will be front and center when code officials, architects, engineers and other building industry professionals meet to debate more than 2,200 proposed changes to the International Codes at the 2008 International Code Council (ICC) Codes Forum.
The meeting will convene at the Palm Springs Convention Center, Palm Springs, Calif., Feb. 18 to March 1, 2008.
Proposed code changes will be considered for inclusion into the 2009 International Codes (I-Codes). The ICC updates the I-Codes every three years through a governmental consensus process.
The hearings are open and inclusive, allowing input from participants in a public setting. "Participating in the code development hearings is a great opportunity to make a significant contribution to public safety," said Rick Weiland, International Code Council CEO.
"The codes are used to guide construction so as to improve building safety and reduce risk in thousands of communities in all 50 states to safeguard the public and protect property," he said.
Steve Shapiro, council board president, said he encourages code officials to attend the forum and participate in the hearings. "It's the best code education you can receive. The knowledge you gain by participating in code hearings will help you improve building safety when you return to your daily work," Shapiro said.
The council will host a Feb. 17 pre-forum event, titled the Wildland Urban Interface Institute. The institute will examine the wildland urban interface problem in the U.S. and its impact on local communities. Attendees will discuss elements of the International Wildland Urban Interface Code, community wildfire protection planning and other tools to minimize the impact of wildland fires.
"Given the recent devastation caused by wildfires in Southern California, the Wildland Urban Interface Institute is particularly timely," Weiland said. "The code council has experts and tools available both to help communities rebuild and to better protect themselves from wildfire threats."
As part of the codes forum, the code council also will administer inspector exams Feb. 22 to 25. The residential and commercial exams cover building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical inspections. Other exams offered are Fire Inspector I, Fire Inspector II and Fire Plans Examiner.
Source: International Code Council (ICC).