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     Manage your subscription(s) December 21, 2012     
  Dear ICC eNews Reader,

As you read the December issue of ICC eNews you will notice the publication has been redesigned. We've learned a lot from our readers and research, including the need to make ICC eNews a quicker, friendlier read. As a result content has been organized under key areas most important to you: Member News, Codes Corner, Tech Services, Industry News, Job Target, ICC News and New Resources. Click on any of those areas to read more related stories to help you do your job.

We always look forward to your feedback. Please send your comments to enewsletter@iccsafe.org. Thank you for being an ICC eNews reader!
 
  MEMBER NEWS
Something Special Is Going
on in the "Cowboy State"


There is something very special going on in Wyoming—the "Cowboy State" which is also known as the equality state. This has been made evident by the Wyoming Conference of Building Officials (WCBO) matching scholarship of $1,000 given to Campbell County Fire Marshal Eric Acton to attend his first-ever ICC Annual Conference and Final Action Code Development Hearings this year in Portland Oregon. This kind of partnership between WCBO and the Wyoming Association of Fire Marshals illustrates a change in the "business as usual" atmosphere as these two organizations are growing together, finding common ground and realizing how a real dialog and partnership benefits both Chapters. Continue reading story
 
  ICC NEWS
ICC Board Approves cdp ACCESS Steering Committee's
Final Recommendations for Online Code Development

During its winter meeting, the International Code Council Board of Directors approved the cdp ACCESS Steering Committee's final recommendations. The Board authorized staff to proceed with the initiative to increase participation in ICC's core function: Code Development. "There is still much to learn and the cdp ACCESS initiative is still evolving, but we are confident that ICC has established a sound plan to develop the governmental consensus Code Development Process of the future," said ICC Board President Ronald Piester. Continue reading story
 
  CODES CORNER
New IFC Provision Requires Sizing of Fire Protection System Rooms
A new provision has been added to Section 901.4.6 of the 2012 International Fire Code (IFC) requiring rooms housing fire protection systems to be adequately sized to facilitate maintenance. Given the costs associated with the design and installation of fire protection systems, it is important that these systems be maintained. IFC Section 901.6 has extensive requirements for their maintenance. However, maintenance can be difficult to perform if adequate space is not provided to allow personnel access for the removal of large, cumbersome, or heavy components such as pump casings, control valves, or alarm check valves. Continue reading story
 
  TECH SERVICES
Group B Code Cycle Begins with January 3 Deadline
The deadline for proposed changes to the 2013 Group B cycle is January 3, 2013. The Group B I-Codes include the IEBC, IFC, IPMC, IRC, ISPSC, IWUIC and IZC; and the ICC Performance Code for Buildings and Structures. Group B also includes the Administrative Code Provisions, which are Chapter 1 of the Group A codes (IBC, IFGC, IMC, IPC and IPSDC) plus the IEBC, IFC, IPMC, IWUIC and IZC. Proposed changes to Chapter 1 of the IECC, IRC, ISPSC and ICC Performance Code will be considered by the applicable Code Development Committee. The administrative updates to referenced standards contained in all of the I-Codes will also be considered by the Administrative Code Development Committee—this includes all the Group A, B and C Codes. As has been published previously, the ICC Board has moved the IgCC to a new Group C cycle to be held in 2014. Continue reading story
 
  INDUSTRY NEWS
The Question for Sandy Storm Victims: Can the Past Be Rebuilt?
As towns up and down the eastern seaboard take stock of tens of billions of dollars in damage from Superstorm Sandy, authorities and residents speak publicly about their intent to rebuild. But with the federal budget deep in the red and government flood insurance still straining to recover from Hurricane Katrina, coastal towns face questions over not just how to rebuild in a way that defends lives and property against surging sea levels and more intense storms, but whether to rebuild at all. "What I need right now is a dollar and a dream," said Frank Bain of Sea Bright, N.J., whose uninsured hardware store stock was destroyed by five feet of Sandy's water. "We'll do the best we can and the best we can for everyone. But no one can honestly say we have a plan yet, none of us." Continue reading story
 
  ICC JOBTARGET
Sandy to Boost Construction Jobs as Rebuilding Spurred
In the most adverse way you'd ever want to see positive growth, demand for construction workers is likely to receive a boost as homeowners in coastal areas of New York and New Jersey rebuild after their properties were devastated by flooding and heavy winds. An estimated 95,000 damaged homes—with a value of $40 billion—located in the coastal areas hit hardest by Sandy are expected to repair and rebuild. The total reconstruction effort nets out to around a $10–$15 billion loss for the economy as a whole; all coming about as U.S. construction employment is still recovering from the last recession, with about 2.2 million fewer jobs today than the 2007 peak of 7.7 million workers. Continue reading story
 
  NEW RESOURCES
ICC, APA Team Publish IRC Lateral Bracing Guide
A new illustrated book, co-published by the International Code Council and APA—The Engineered Wood Association, provides an explanation of the lateral bracing provisions of the 2012 International Residential Code (IRC). The Guide to the 2012 IRC Wood Wall Bracing Provisions, the third edition in the series, details the correct application of the code-bracing requirements, explores the history and theory behind wall bracing, and provides real-world bracing examples. The book is now available in hardcopy and digital format. Continue reading story
 
           
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