Deadline to validate voters is Aug. 31.

ICC Primary Representatives must validate their Governmental Member Voting Representatives by Aug. 31, to vote at the 2015 Annual Business Meeting, Group A Public Comment Hearings, or the online Governmental Consensus Vote that follows the hearings. The Electronic Voter Validation site will remain open through Aug. 31. Questions can be emailed to ICC Membership Services (members@iccsafe.org) or call 888-ICC-SAFE (422-7233), ext. 33804.

Public Comment Agenda available tomorrow.

The agenda for the Group A Public Comment Hearings, Sept. 30-Oct. 5, in Long Beach, Calif., will be posted on the ICC website tomorrow, Aug. 28. The hearings will begin at 8 a.m. Pacific on Wednesday, Sept. 30, at the Long Beach Convention Center. View the schedule.

Ten years after Katrina: 'People had to learn the hard way.'

Ten years ago, on Aug. 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina raged into the Gulf of Mexico with winds in excess of 150 mph, battering coastal towns and resulting in 1,800 deaths and more than $67.8 billion in losses across six states. To date, it is the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. In the 10 years since the storm, jurisdictions across the Gulf Coast have made great strides with code adoptions and compliance. But much work remains before the next storm hits. Read more.

Searchers find body of Sitka, Alaska, building official who died in landslide.

Searchers on Tuesday found the body of 62-year-old Sitka, Alaska, Building Official William Stortz, who was working near newly built homes Aug. 18 when logs, mud and debris slid down a hillside into the neighborhood. Brothers Elmer and Ulises Diaz were painting a new house and also were killed. Read more.

ICC offers condolences to families of firefighters killed in Washington.

On behalf the Board of Directors and staff, the International Code Council expresses its sincerest sympathy on the tragic loss of the three firefighters who sacrificed their lives battling a wildfire near Twisp in northern Washington. ICC asks all its Members to keep the fallen, their families and those still battling wildfires in their thoughts and prayers.

Forum will examine climate change and refrigerants.

Mark Menzer, Director of Public Affairs with Danfoss, a manufacturer of air conditioning and refrigeration system components, will give a presentation during the Government Relations Forum at ICC's 2015 Annual Conference. The HVACR industry is moving to a whole new family of refrigerants. Menzer will provide an industry perspective of what is going on in the world of climate change and refrigerants that may require code recognition in the future.

Certification exams offered at Annual Conference.

ICC will administer more than 20 certification exam titles at the 2015 Annual Conference in Long Beach, Calif. The exams will be offered on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, with sessions starting at 8 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. each day. Walk-in registration will be available from 7:30-8 a.m. and 1-1:30 p.m. on both dates and applications can be obtained at the registration desk. Since testing is limited to 20 candidates per seating, however, pre-registration is strongly encouraged. Click here for more information.

Builder confidence, single-family starts rising.

The most recent home construction data offer modest reasons to be optimistic, although risks remain. The August NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index continued its slow rise to a nine-plus-year high of 61, up one point from July. The index has been at 60 or more since June and above the tipping point of 50 since July 2014.

Significant changes to the 2015 IFC.

International Fire Code (IFC) Section 909.6.3 has been added for clarification of the responsibility and authority between the fire code official and the building official in relation to smoke control systems. The lack of duplicative requirements in both the IFC and International Building Code has led to uncertainty on the part of designers as to the appropriate authority for these sections. When jurisdictions are not coordinated internally it is sometimes difficult for them to complete the commissioning tests and receive final approvals from all authorities having jurisdiction.

(This information is excerpted from the Significant Changes to the 2015 International Fire Code.)

Get training from ICC's Preferred Education Providers: online or in person.

Build your expertise or learn new skills with educational opportunities from more than 200 ICC Preferred Education Providers. Review 99 training courses available online, or 134 in-person training courses. Check back often — new courses and providers are added frequently.

Search courses by topic, or filter by provider name, course type, course specialty or location.

CEUS earned from Preferred Providers can be applied toward ICC's certification renewal requirements. For a complete listing of ICC Preferred Providers, visit the PP website.

New IFC reference provides valuable code commentary.

The 2015 IFC Code and Commentary contains the full text of the 2015 International Fire Code (IFC), including tables and figures, followed by corresponding commentary at the end of each section. The Code and Commentary series is written by ICC's code experts to help code users understand the intent of the codes and learn how to apply them effectively.

Construction workers' touching tribute to young hospital patients.

When kids at one Long Island hospital look outside, they now have something to smile about — thanks to some thoughtful construction workers. "People of course have preconceived notions that construction workers are just hard-nosed and a bunch of tough guys," said Mark Swanson, who works for the construction company that's managing the new building project. "But I think this goes to show they're really just a bunch of softies."

Longtime Marietta, Ga., building official Cosper passes away.

Former Marietta, Ga., Chief Building Official William "Hal" Cosper passed away at the age of 65. The ICC Master Code Professional earned accolades from the inspection and building communities by serving on many boards and organizations, including the Northwest Georgia Inspectors Association, Metro Atlanta Inspectors Association and the Georgia State Licensing Board. He was a past president of the Building Officials Association of Georgia and in 2009 was presented the Chapter's Building Official of the Year Award.

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