Awards Luncheon — Tuesday, Oct. 1 Industry Experts Honored for Contributions to Safety in the Built Environment

The Code Council honored industry experts for their contributions to safety in the built environment during Tuesday's Awards Luncheon in Atlantic City, N.J.:

Laura Rouse-DeVore, Code Enforcement Officer for the Village of Montgomery, Ill., received the Gerald H. Jones Code Official of the Year Award. Fulton Cochran, Deputy Fire Marshal for the City of Henderson, Nev., was honored with the Fire Service Award. The Butte County, Calif., Department of Development Services Building Division and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) were recipients of Community Service Awards. Dennis Pitts, South Central Regional Director of the American Wood Council, accepted the Affiliate Award.

Henry Green, President of the National Institute of Building Sciences, will be presented the prestigious Bobby J. Fowler Award during Wednesday night's Annual Banquet.

Rouse-DeVore Recipient of Code Official of the Year Award   From left: Awards Committee Chairman Greg Wheeler; Laura Rouse-DeVore, Code Enforcement Officer, Mongomery, Ill.; and Code Council Board President Ronald Piester.   Laura Rouse-DeVore received the Gerald H. Jones Code Official of the Year Award, which is presented to an individual whose contributions to the code enforcement profession are meritorious. The individual must demonstrate professional abilities and be recognized as an example for all members of the code enforcement profession. Rouse-DeVore is first vice president of the Illinois Association of Code Enforcement (IACE). In January she secured a gubernatorial proclamation honoring code officials throughout Illinois, the first time that ever had been done. Rouse-DeVore wrote and created a publication article and brochure for the Village of Montgomery and is currently the chairperson of the national public awareness campaign for the American Association of Code Enforcement regarding the "Importance of Code Enforcement." She also has attended Montgomery's neighborhood watch organizations to talk about code enforcement in the community. She has made these materials available to neighborhood organizations and has substantially increased awareness about vacant homes.

Cochran Honored with Fire Service Award   From left: Awards Committee Chairman Greg Wheeler; Fulton Cochran, Deputy Fire Marshal for Henderson, Nev.; and Code Council Board President Ronald Piester.   Fulton Cochran received the ICC Fire Service Award, which is bestowed to an individual for service, professional abilities and leadership that are exemplary in the development of the International Fire Code and one who has served as an example to all fire prevention and fire protection professionals. Cochran has led the Fire Service Membership Council (FSMC) Governing Committee (and former International Fire Code Council) as its Chairman through the re-engineering of ICC's Membership Councils. Under his leadership, the FSMC has undertaken numerous initiatives to further improve the relationship between building and fire officials and has strengthened fire service participation with the ICC. Cochran has helped forge a strong relationship between the fire service and the ICC on matters of policy and code development. During his tenure as Chairman, the FSMC has submitted many recommendations to the ICC Board of Directors to enhance training and certification programs; recommendations to develop new fire related certification programs with his service on BIPS and has helped foster the joint collaboration with the Building Officials Membership Council (BOMC). Cochran has served on the Codes and Standards and Nominating Committee and the cdpACCESS Steering Committee. He also was involved in the development and implementation of EduCode that has been a successful ICC Code Training Program in Nevada for many years.

Butte County, Calif., and FEMA Presented Community Service Awards   From left: Awards Committee Chairman Greg Wheeler; Nancy Springer, Building Division Manager and Building Official of Butte County, Calif.; and Code Council Board President Ronald Piester.         From left: Awards Committee Chairman Greg Wheeler; Ed Laatsh, FEMA Building Division Manager; and Code Council Board President Ronald Piester.   ICC Community Service Awards recognize meritorious service by individuals, organizations, jurisdictions or communities that promote public health, safety and welfare by initiating activities or actions that are above and beyond normal expectations. The permit process at the Butte County, Calif., Department of Development Services Building Division includes an Economic Development Assistance Committee to deliver services promptly to help bring in new business and jobs. Applicants meet with all departments in one session to discuss permits and clarify requirements. Applicants often offer praise for the time- and money-saving approach. Public educational programs in Butte County range from participation at local events to fire safe council meetings, schools, and a college internship building inspection technology program. They focus on building safety and raising the profile of code officials and building codes. Department representatives serve on the state's Building Standards Commission Health Facilities Committee; host flood-elevation certification classes for the Department of Water Resources; participate in Legislative Day and the Governor's Office of Planning and Research Photovoltaic Systems workshops; and developed a model solar energy ordinance. Despite layoffs that cut staff by more than 50 percent, the Butte County Building Department team maintains quality customer service. FEMA's Building Science Branch received the award for, in its own words, "Engineers Move Mountains to Obtain Three Presidential Proclamations declaring Building Safety Month." The Building Science Branch develops and produces multi-hazard mitigation guidance focusing on creating disaster-resilient communities. Branch Chief Ed Laatsch and Program Managers John Ingargiola and Mike Mahoney knew obtaining a Presidential Proclamation began the herculean task of obtaining a Presidential Proclamation promoting the importance of building safety and building codes in 2010. They researched past proclamations for Fire Prevention Week, Hurricane Preparedness Week and National Preparedness Month. They explained how the building codes consensus process worked and its importance to resilient communities. As a result of their diligence, the first-ever presidential proclamation marking Building Safety Month was issued in 2011. It was the first of three consecutive proclamations. As a result of the proclamations, National Building Safety Month received significant media exposure that created awareness and support for the role building codes and building officials play in public safety in the built environment.

Pitts Recipient of Affiliate Award   From left: Awards Committee Chairman Greg Wheeler; Dennis Pitts, South Central Regional Director of the American Wood Council; and Code Council Board President Ronald Piester.   Recipients of the ICC Affiliate Award demonstrate integrity, professionalism and dedication through service to the building safety profession and personal standards representing the spirit of public service to the development of codes and standards in the interest of public safety. The award is presented in honor of John Fies, Wilbur H. Lind and Alton Riddick, who demonstrated unselfish service to the legacy model code organizations. Dennis Pitts participates in the development of the International Building and Residential Codes and serves on a number of committees. He has authored dozens of proposals that improved the code related to wood design for wind, snow and seismic loads. His common sense approach on behalf of the wood industry is recognized by his peers, designers and code officials. In addition to his service to the Wood Council, Pitts has been a plans examiner and a building official, a director of the Building Officials Association of Texas, and a member of the North Texas Council of Governments Code Committee. He is a continuing education presenter specializing in wood frame construction.

McLendon Honored for Raising the Profile of Building Safety   From left: Awards Committee Chairman Greg Wheeler; Susan McLendon, Development Services Technician for Citrus Heights, Calif.; and Code Council Board President Ronald Piester.   Susan McLendon, Development Services Technician for Citrus Heights, Calif., was the 2013 recipient of the ICC Raising the Profile Award during Tuesday's Awards Luncheon in Atlantic City, N.J. The award recognizes contributions that increase public awareness of accomplishments that lead to improved public safety. McLendon has worked in the Citrus Heights Building and Safety Division for more than 10 years. In addition to her work to ensure safe construction in the city, her achievements during Building Safety Month are particularly impressive, said ICC Board Director Greg Wheeler, Chair of this year's Awards Committee. "She organized educational events, developed games and contests, created an informative public display, and worked persistently to secure local sponsors," Wheeler explained. "She provided the community with essential information about building safety and answered questions. She talked to children about backyard and pool safety. Susan's outreach efforts brought together city staff, elected officials, fire and building officials, contractors and the public to discuss working together to promote safe and sustainable structures."

Northwest Building Officials and Code Administrators Named Chapter of the Year; Three Chapters Presented Merit Awards

The Code Council confers the Chapter of the Year award as the top honor for its Chapters. To earn this distinction, a Chapter must demonstrate a high degree of professionalism in promoting the vision, mission and goals of the Code Council. The Chapter distinguishes itself through the development and implementation of programs designed to increase the professionalism of its members and code officials everywhere.

From left: Awards Committee Chairman Greg Wheeler; Northwest Building Officials and Code Administrators Chapter; and Code Council Board President Ronald Piester.   The Northwest Building Officials and Code Administrators (NBOCA) was named 2013 Chapter of the Year during Tuesday's Awards Luncheon in Atlantic City, N.J. The Kansas City Metropolitan Association of Permit Technicians (KCMAPT), the New York State Building Officials Conference (NYSBOC), and the Wyoming Conference of Building Officials (WCBO) were presented Chapter Merit Awards. NBOCA was honored for its emphasis on the importance of professional certifications, education and community service. The Chapter subsidizes training conducted at monthly meetings, hosts an annual three-day training event and arranges field trips. A new Chapter program, Helping Hands, assists those with financial constraints to overcome accessibility and weatherization challenges. NBOCA hired a consultant to guide its members on building and elevator safety issues and is active in the Illinois legislative process related to building safety.

Merit Awards are presented to Chapters that distinguish themselves through activities that demonstrate the goals and objectives of the Code Council.

From left: Awards Committee Chairman Greg Wheeler; Kansas City Metropolitan Association of Permit Technicians Chapter; and Code Council Board President Ronald Piester.   The KCMAPT worked with fellow Kansas Chapters to secure a gubernatorial proclamation recognizing Building Safety Month statewide. Chapter members visited schools presenting programs that promote safety through role playing as inspectors and builders. The Chapter is a strong proponent of the cdpACCESS initiative, actively supports the Coalition for Current Safety Codes and participates in the pay it forward program that funds fellow Chapters hosting ICC Conferences. The Chapter also is working with three school districts, builders and local business to adopt ICC’s High School Technical Training Program.

From left: Awards Committee Chairman Greg Wheeler; New York State Building Officials Conference; and Code Council Board President Ronald Piester.   After Superstorm Sandy made landfall, NYSBOC members and teams of code officials from throughout the state performed rapid damage assessment reports in hard hit areas. As a result, communities and property owners were able to quickly apply for relief with a starting point for reconstruction. With the economic downturn and reduced state funding, NYSBOC offers numerous regional seminars, providing state mandated continuing education for code officials, and partnering with colleges to provide programs for construction technology and engineering students. NYSBOC also partnered with the state to create a disaster response certification training program.

From left: Awards Committee Chairman Greg Wheeler; Wyoming Conference of Building Officials; and Code Council Board President Ronald Piester.   Code development and code adoption is of paramount importance to the WCBO. The Chapter supports its commitment to safety with six, one-thousand dollar scholarships to attend code development hearings. With a diverse membership that includes building officials, inspectors, plans examiners, architects, engineers and contractors, the Wyoming Conference of Building Officials, with input from its members, organizes training, especially updates to codes. It also sponsors continuing education to accommodate contractor licensing requirements. Many Chapter members volunteered countless hours to help develop and organize the Region 2 ICC Chapter.