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.

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.

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.

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:

• ICC General Scholarship Fund 
• William J. Tangye Scholarship 
• J.W. “Bill” Neese Scholarship 
• C.D. Howard Scholarship 
• Charlie O’Meilia Scholarship 

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.

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.