ICC Board President Stephen Jones Visits Students at East Tech

Students in East Tech's Construction Technology Program sat in the lecture hall on March 10 to listen to International Code Council Board of Directors President Stephen Jones (pictured center) discuss the importance of the International Residential Code and the building codes by historical and current catastrophes. Jones illustrated through examples where buildings and whole cities had been destroyed due to negligence by individuals and accidents caused by creatures and nature. He further explained how codes were constantly evolving because of events where individuals were injured and killed. Jones shared that building codes not only protect the residents in their homes but also that codes protect people in public places. In summation, he stated that building codes save lives.

Jones had travelled from New Jersey to Las Vegas to conduct business and made a special stop to visit Mr. Vega (pictured right) and Mr. Litz's 10th through 12th grade construction classes. Michael Teemant (pictured left), 2nd Vice President of the Southern Nevada International Code Council (SNICC), also attended. The SNICC provides funding for the high school ICC program for East Tech's Construction Technology Program.

Jones asked students if they were interested in a career as a building inspector, which is in high demand, and quite a few students expressed interest. Jones toured East Tech's construction lab and was impressed with the caliber of the training program.

East Tech is the first school in the state of Nevada to pilot the ICC High School Technical Training Program. It is a flexible educational program divided into four parts: building, plumbing, HVAC (mechanical) and electrical. This year, 96 percent of Mr. Vega's students passed the building code exam and one senior, Ruby Lemus, scored 100 percent! Students will receive a nationally recognized Certificate of Achievement from ICC. The program increases students' proficiency in building codes while they work toward becoming an ICC Certified Code Professional.

Voting Privileges & Participation in Code Council Activities

There was a time when a patchwork of building codes made compliance difficult, construction more costly and safety less certain. Through the participation of a wide range of professionals from code officials to designers, manufactures and contractors, in the Code Council code development process, these issues and many others have been and continue to be addressed. The result is a built environment that becomes safer with each new edition of the International Codes.

There are many ways to be part of ICC code and standard development. Anyone can submit code change proposals and public comments, present testimony and make motions at hearings. And with cdpACCESS, the new, online cloud-based tool built exclusively for ICC's code development process, participation is easier than ever.

Here are some of the essentials you need to know about participating in ICC code and standard development in 2014:

• ICC Member Voting Opportunity (for all ICC Members other than Governmental Members)

ICC Members may participate in the online Assembly Floor Motion Vote that follows the Committee Action Hearing using cdpACCESS. To be eligible, ICC Members must have an active ICC membership by March 28.

• ICC Governmental Member Voting Opportunities

ICC Governmental Members with validated Governmental Member Voting Representatives (GMVRs) can participate in the following votes:

the Assembly Floor Motion Vote that follows the Committee Action Hearing using cdpACCESS
in person voting at the Annual Business Meeting, for matters concerning the association
in person voting at the Public Comment Hearing
the Online Governmental Consensus Vote that follows the Public Comment Hearing using cdpACCESS.

To be qualified to vote, ICC Governmental Members must:

have an active ICC membership by March 28, and
validate their GMVR through the Electronic Voter Validation system by March 28–for the Assembly Floor Motion Vote and September 1st - for the Annual Business Meeting, Public Comment Hearing and Online Governmental Consensus Vote.
The Primary Representative for each Governmental Member can validate GMVR by completing an online questionnaire via the Electronic Voter Validation system. GMVR voting credentials must be updated each calendar year to be eligible to vote.

• Industry Stakeholders, Other Interested Parties and the Public

Industry Stakeholders, other interested parties and the public, regardless of ICC Membership status, can participate in the following activities:

ICC code and standard committees and councils, which play a pivotal role in the development, updating and support of I-Codes and ICC standards. Many are open to ICC Members and Nonmembers. Calls for Committee are posted on the ICC website at http://www.iccsafe.org/cc/Pages/calls.aspx.
ICC work groups, which are created by and report to ICC committees and councils on specific issues.
Submission of proposed code changes and public comments to proposed code changes through cdpACCESS.
Committee Action Hearings and Public Comment Hearings. These are open hearings where anyone can make motions and testify.

Lend Your Voice to the Conversation at EE Global

The International Code Council is pleased to announce that you have the opportunity to join us and other premier energy efficiency experts at EE Global 2014! Claim your seat at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., from May 20–21.

At EE Global, we have traded the canned presentations for a robust debate based on innovative idea-sharing. This discussion-based agenda features visionaries, business leaders and senior government officials such as: Deputy Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change Dan Utech; CEO of the Berlin Energy Agency Michael Geissler; Georgetown University Energy Prize founder and executive director Francis Slakey; and VP Public Affairs for Danfoss Robert Wilkins.

These thoughts leaders and many more will convene to answer the pressing questions facing our economy, energy, technology, and future including: Is ISO 50001 the global answer to continuous efficiency improvement in facility operations and industrial enterprises? Did energy efficiency and clean energy stimulus money just get us through a slump or did they transform markets? What strategies are cities utilizing as they seek to create highly-efficient urban areas? And why? What is needed to encourage small & medium enterprises to invest in and adopt energy efficiency?

EE Global is working to change the future of energy efficiency through an agenda of 20 Executive Dialogue Sessions and two Plenary Sessions.

Don't miss out on this opportunity to lend your voice to the conversation at EE Global May 20–21 in Washington, D.C.

Register Today for 10NCEE—10th U.S. National Conference on Earthquake Engineering

The International Code Council is a proud sponsor of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) and invites you to attend the 10th U.S. National Conference on Earthquake Engineering (10NCEE) held July 21-25 in Anchorage, Ala.

10NCEE will bring together more than a thousand earthquake risk reduction professionals from the U.S. and beyond. More than 800 papers and presentations from experts covering issues critical to earthquake engineers, scientists, policymakers and disaster mitigation professionals were accepted.

Join EERI this July in beautiful Anchorage for 10NCEE to: commemorate the 50th anniversary of the M9.2 Great Alaskan earthquake and tsunami; network with your colleagues—experts in the fields of structural, geotechnical and lifelines engineering; enjoy scenic technical tours around Anchorage, organized by the local organizing committee and EERI members; and experience the exciting EERI 2014 Student Seismic Design Competition, which continues to grow every year.

Register today at www.10ncee.org.

Mississippi Enacts its First Statewide Building Code Law

Mississippi has enacted its first statewide building code that is designed to set construction guidelines to strengthen homes and other buildings from hurricane and other weather-related damage. The new legislation requires Mississippi cities and counties to adopt as a minimum standard any of the last three editions of the International Building Code and any additional codes as adopted by the Mississippi Building Code Council. The local governments would also have to enforce other Mississippi Building Code Council requirements addressing electrical, plumbing, fuel gas and other systems. The new building codes are scheduled to take effect Aug. 1, 2014. Continue reading story

Dear Local Administrator:

Two years ago, the International Code Council (ICC) partnered with Harford Technical High School in Bel Air, Md., to establish the ICC High School Technical Training Program. ICC is the world leader in the establishment and implementation of the International Codes, which are adopted by jurisdictions throughout the nation, including all of Rhode Island municipalities. The Rhode Island Building Officials Association (RIBOA) recognized the importance of this program, which introduces students to the International Residential Code (IRC) in conjunction with their construction trades training. RIBOA is providing their support in many ways, first by sponsoring membership to every technical school in the State, and becoming the first state in the country to have 100-percent participation in the ICC High School Training Program. Second, we have encouraged Building Officials from throughout the state to participate as mentors in conjunction with the implementation of the High School Program. We encourage your support of your local Building Official to allow them to take a few hours out of their schedule on a monthly basis to meet with the students and teachers and introduce them to the building codes. This program is gaining national support and is also meets the presidential challenge to meet the demands of a high-tech economy. ICC President Stephen Jones also noted that "Mastering building science, technology, engineering and math is a must for a successful career in working with building codes to create safe structures." According to program originator Jim Ellwood, "Building Officials joining together and mentoring this program will provide the ICC and building code communities an opportunity to contribute to the workforce of the future, and ensure that the ICC remains a leader in code development and code education." We look forward to your support of participation in the High School Training Program by your local Building Official to help teach and shape tomorrow’s construction tradespersons.

Wayne R. Pimental, CBO
Rhode Island Building Officials Association

Share Your Chapter News with Us

Have a recent meeting you'd like to share with your fellow Chapters? Did you start a new program, elect new officers, have a successful training session or recognize a fellow Chapter member? Let's show our Chapter pride by sharing all the great things chapters do throughout the year in the name of public safety. Send your photos, captions and Chapter news items to chapters@iccsafe.org. We'll see that they are published in an upcoming edition of ICC eNews.

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ICC-ES Receives Prestigious WSSPC Award in Excellence for Evaluation Reports

The Western States Seismic Policy Council (WSSPC) Board of Directors recently announced the winners of the 2014 Awards in Excellence. ICC Evaluation Service, LLC has been honored with the 2014 Non-Profit Agency Efforts Award in Excellence for ICC-ES Evaluation Reports.

"We are pleased to receive such a prestigious award, which is testament to ICC-ES' outstanding technical expertise and rigorous evaluation program," said ICC-ES President, Shahin Moinian. "This award recognizes the dedication of ICC-ES staff to maintain the highest level of integrity and service to clients." Continue reading story

Upcoming Training from IAS

To register for ISO/IEC Standard 17020 training for testing and calibration Laboratories, on May 5–6, in La Habra, Calif., click here.

To register for ISO/IEC Standard 17025 training for testing and calibration Laboratories, on May 7–9, in La Habra, Calif., click here.

IAS Announces New Committee and Council Appointments

Since November 2013, there have been a number of appointments made to the committees and councils of IAS. The IAS Accreditation Committee is honored to have received two new committee members: Devang Jhaveri with Punyam Management Services Pvt. Ltd./Global Manager Group, India; and Yasmeen Sami Saadah from the Department of Municipal Affairs, Abu Dhabi UAE.

Hakim Bayyoud of Beaufort County, S.C.; Scott Cope of the city of Rochester Hills, Mich.; and Michael Fink of the city of Philadelphia, Pa., were each newly appointed to the IAS Technical Advisory Council for Building Departments.

The IAS Technical Advisory Council for Personnel Certification Bodies welcomed new appointees Jim Bax of Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, Ohio; Cindy Herleikson with LIUNA Training and Education Fund, Conn.; and Osman Vural from TQNet International Training Approval & Personnel Certification Body, Turkey.

The new IAS Technical Advisory Council (TAC) for Product and Management Systems (a new TAC formed from the new TAC for Management System Certification Bodies combined with the former TAC for Product Certification Agencies) received appointees Leigh A. Brand, Government and Military Certification Systems, Inc., Washington, D.C.; Christopher Frie, SGS Consumer Testing Services, SGS North America, Inc., Va.; Joseph Heath, The Paragon Group, Inc., Calif.; Robert Hill, Home Innovation Research Labs, Md.; and Mohan Sabaratnam, IAS staff. The TAC is chaired by Patrick McCullen, IAS Vice President/Chief Technical Officer.

Lee Clifton, International Code Council staff, was appointed to the IAS Technical Advisory Council for Sustainability.

Appointments are made by the IAS Board of Directors for a one-year period and appointees may be reappointed at the Board's discretion.