California celebrates Building Safety Month 2015.
 
 
Citing the devotion of "vigilant guardians" — the building, mechanical, plumbing, electrical and fire prevention officials, architects, engineers, designers, builders, tradespeople, laborers and others in the construction industry who work year-round to ensure the safe construction of buildings — Gov. Jerry Brown has proclaimed May as Building Safety Month 2015 (BSM) in the state of California.

Founded by the International Code Council (ICC) in 1980, BSM is a public awareness campaign to help individuals, families and businesses understand what it takes to create a safe and sustainable built environment. The campaign reinforces the need for adoption of current model building codes and standards, a strong and efficient system of code application, and a well-trained, professional workforce.

Gov. Brown's proclamation states: "Building Safety Month encourages all Californians to raise awareness of the importance of building safety; green and sustainable building practices; swimming pool, spa and hot tub safety; backyard safety; smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) detection; and new technologies in the construction industry."

The theme for this year's BSM celebration is "Resilient Communities Start with Building Codes." Each week of BSM spotlights a specific area of building safety and fire prevention:

The California Building Standards Code, based on the International Family of Codes, includes guidance to safeguards that protect the public from natural disasters such as earthquakes, wildfires, mudslides and floods. The ICC Family of Codes also incorporates the most practical and current green building requirements to lessen the impact buildings have on the environment.

Water shortages in the western region of the United States have increased the need for Congress and other government agencies to consider incentives for state and local jurisdictions to adopt water efficiency measures and better educate the public about water consumption. ICC is a member of the Plumbing Industry Leadership Coalition that recently hosted the Future of Water Congressional Briefing on Capitol Hill that helped kick off Water Week 2015. The coalition was formed to provide a forum for the exchange of information through the leadership of U.S.-based plumbing industry associations and stakeholders having an influence on policy.

ICC works with key industry organizations to develop standards that address critical water usage issues, including landscape irrigation sprinklers and rainwater harvesting systems, and recently announced a partnership with RESNET in the development of the Water Efficiency Rating Index. ICC also is a partner in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's WaterSense program. Products and services that earn the WaterSense label with the ICC Evaluation Service certification mark are certified to be at least 20 percent more water efficient without sacrificing performance.

"Increased water efficiency is a critically important aspect of sustainability," explained ICC CEO Dominic Sims, CBO. "ICC is committed to working with our Members and industry partners to bring water efficient products to market, labeling new homes as WaterSense compliant, and spreading the word about the need for smart water use."

With hundreds of jurisdictions and its Western Regional Office located in Brea, Calif., ICC and its Members advocate for safe and sustainable construction in California and across the U.S. On May 14, the Southern California Regional Chapters of ICC will hold an unprecedented joint meeting in Monterey Park to celebrate and promote Building Safety Month. Guest speakers will include California Building Officials (CALBO) President Raj Patel, CALBO Executive Director Matt Wheeler, State Fire Marshal Tonya Hoover, California Building Standards Committee Deputy Executive Director Michael Nearman, and ICC Board of Directors member Jay Elbettar.
 
Share this story: