Code Council’s 41st annual Building Safety Month keeps the spotlight on safety and resiliency

This week marks the start of the 2021 Building Safety Month (BSM) to raise awareness about the importance of building codes and the role of building safety professionals in ensuring our communities remain safe, sustainable and resilient. This year’s theme is “Prevent, Prepare, Protect. Building Codes Save.” Week 1 highlights energy codes and standards as an essential component to increasing energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gasses. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, model building energy codes like the International Energy Conservation Code are projected to save homeowners and businesses $126 billion in annual energy costs. Each subsequent week will focus on a specific theme critical to building safety: Training the Next Generation (week 2), Water Safety (week 3) and Disaster Preparedness (week 4). Click here to download your Building Safety Month poster. The 2021 Proclamation Guide is available here. Has your ICC Chapter President signed a proclamation? Also, don’t miss the opportunity to have 2021 BSM proclamations signed by your mayors, county commission chairs, state legislators, Governors and associations and businesses.

NOTE: So far, more than 100 jurisdictions and organizations have issued 2021 Building Safety Month proclamations, including U.S. President Joe Biden: “Investing in our infrastructure and adopting and implementing modern building codes are the most effective mitigation measures communities can undertake.” View the proclamation for National Building Safety Month, here.

Series of free virtual educational events are planned during the 2021 Building Safety Month campaign

Throughout Building Safety Month, a series of free virtual educational sessions are available, including:

IT’S FREE: Signup starts for Code Council’s popular Chapter Leadership Academy set for June 8 online

It’s been held in convention centers in Oklahoma City and Denver, but the 2021 Chapter Leadership Academy will be only as far away as your computer. This year’s Academy will be a one-day event and will be held Tuesday, June 8, starting at 10 a.m. Eastern, 9 a.m. Central and 8 a.m. Mountain. Please register by clicking here, so we can send additional details and session information closer to June 8th! If you have any questions, please email chapters@iccsafe.org.

IT’S OFFICIAL: The 2021 ICC Annual Conference and Public Comment Hearing to be held in Pittsburgh

With the virtual 2021 Group A Committee Action Hearings ending May 5, preparations are under way to produce a live 2021 ICC Annual Conference and Public Comment Hearings September 19-28 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s event will have additional measures in place to allow our members, stakeholders and employees to gather safely. Some sessions will be offered virtually. More details about the schedule are forthcoming. Read more here.

Code Council members offered new digital badges to display credentials and membership online

The Code Council is offering a new and innovative way to share your credentials and membership. A Digital Badge represents an authenticated accomplishment, skill, or participation. The badge is housed and managed online. Much like a traditional physical badge or certificate, the digital badge is used as a display to validate your credential/membership and engage conversation among peers and employers. They are useful on a member’s resume, in social media, web pages, email signatures and any digital platform where members want to be noticed. Read more here how to access and share badges.

Nearly 350 applications received for 2024 International Energy Conservation Code committees

With nearly 350 applications submitted for the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) Development Committees, interest has been impressive among members hoping to serve on these committees and to held advance energy efficiency and building safety in America’s communities. Next, the Code Council Board of Directors will consider the nominations and appoint the committees. Committee members will be informed via email of their appointment and the first meeting of the committees is scheduled to start this summer. The applicants represent:

  • All nine identified interest groups — government regulators, public segments, consumers, manufacturers, builders, standards promulgators/testing laboratories, users, utilities and insurance.
  • Federal, state and local government regulators.
  • Forty-two U.S. states and 14 climate zones.
  • Building safety professionals, including code officials, architects, engineers, interior designers, energy raters, electricians, home builders, contractors and building owners.
  • Wood, masonry, steel, concrete, electrical, mechanical, water, insulation, HVAC, brick, fenestration and envelope manufacturers.

The Development Committees will establish workgroups that will allow for greater deliberation or focus on particular topic areas. Read more here.

Application deadline is June 29 for International Code Council’s 2021 Sponsored Scholarship cycle

The 2021 Application Form and the Scholarship Recommendation Form for all five of the Sponsored Scholarships are available and due by June 29. Only ONE application is needed to apply for all of the scholarships in the program, which include:

The scholarships are funded by contributors and Code Council Chapters. Recipients are selected by a committee of volunteers. Separate policies are in effect for each scholarship that details the selection and administrative guidelines, eligibility requirements, and the selection criteria.

Report is available from last fall’s four-part virtual summit on the importance of equitable resilience

FEMA recently released the report from a four-part virtual forum conducted last fall by the Resilient Nation Partnership Network, FEMA and NOAA. The report is titled “Building Alliances for Equitable Resilience: Advancing Equitable Resilience through Partnerships and Diverse Perspectives.” Calling attention to a growing body of research, the report states that “one of the most cost-effective ways to safeguard the whole community against natural disasters is to adopt and follow hazard-resistant building codes.” The report also supports the “nationwide adoption and use of up-to-date building codes” and making “equity a central part of planning and building code efforts” as some of the best ways to keep people safe in their homes and reduce the disproportionate impacts of natural hazards.    Over four weeks, 33 speakers from 28 organizations convened to share perspectives and personal and professional insights related to equity. The Code Council was represented by Ryan Colker, Vice President of Innovation and Executive Director of ANCR. Nearly 2,200 viewers representing over 500 organizations from diverse sectors and industries attended the virtual sessions. Download report here.

New Table 4G in NDS supplement on multi-species and country grade marked lumber available

A recent edition of the American Wood Council’s WoodPost featured multi-species grade stamps that require the designer to check each specie’s design values and use the lowest design value among the different species for each design property. These new multi-species grade marks are the result of certain mills producing lumber from two or more species without separating them in production. Lumber with these grade stamps could be any of the species and countries shown on the grade mark. To help designers and code officials navigate this relatively new approach to grade marking, the lumber grading agencies, working with the American Lumber Standards Committee and AWC staff, have developed a new table of design values for multi-species lumber grade marks. This new table, titled Table 4G, Reference Design Values for Multi-Species and Country Grademarked Visually Graded Dimension Lumber (2″-4″ thick), has been approved and included as an addendum to AWC’s 2018 NDS Supplement. The new Table 4G can be viewed and downloaded here.

Code Council CEO Dominic Sims weighs in on bipartisan Built to Last Act infrastructure legislation

Dominic Sims, CBO, Chief Executive Officer of the International Code Council, was quoted in a congressional press release on the Built to Last Act, a bill introduced by Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI). The bill is intended to help local communities and private firms build stronger, more climate resilient infrastructure to better withstand extreme weather events. It would require NOAA to identify a consistent, federal set of best available forward-looking metrological information and require NIST to make that information available to SDOs. Other sponsors of the bill are the SmarterSafer Coalition, American Society of Civil Engineers, American Planning Association, Enterprise Community Partners, Environmental Defense Fund, Federal Alliance for Safe Homes, Inc., National Ready Mix Concrete Association, R Street, and Taxpayers for Common Sense. The Congressional Budget Office reports annual economic losses from damage caused by hurricanes and storm-related flooding is $54 billion to households, businesses and government. Read more here.