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National Preparedness Month

September is National Preparedness Month. The International Code Council encourages individuals and communities to take steps to prepare for emergencies in their homes, businesses and communities. Prevention, protection, response and recovery efforts are important when facing the possibility of natural disasters. Recent catastrophic hurricanes and earthquakes remind us of just how important preparedness can be.

The community of Miñi Miñi in Puerto Rico flooded after the Carraizo Dam released water, due to the overflow brought by Hurricane Maria. Yuisa Rios/FEMA

Hurricane season is still ongoing

This year we've seen one devastating hurricane after another. Thanks to your support, together we were able to give more than $110,000 to American Red Cross disaster relief efforts earlier this month. Unfortunately, the storms keep on coming. The latest news out of Puerto Rico confirms the loss of human lives and a vast amount of damage to infrastructure due to Hurricane Maria. Even though the ICC match is complete, the Red Cross is still accepting donations to help with disaster relief — click here to donate through the Red Cross website.

ICC staff are in contact with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and will work with our members in Puerto Rico to help as needed. Once the immediate dangers have passed, we will collaborate with our partners to gather lessons learned to support the development of future code change proposals to our building codes and standards if necessary. For more information, visit our hurricane resources webpage.

cdpACCESS opens next week for Group A code cycle

The Code Council's cdpACCESS system for the code development process is scheduled to open on Oct. 2 for the 2018/2019 Group A code change cycle. ICC is offering free, instructional webinars on Oct. 3, Oct. 5 and Oct. 9 to assist with the cdpACCESS voting process.

Play back the best moments of ICC's Annual Conference

Did you miss this year's conference in Columbus? Don't worry, we have you covered. Rather than forever wonder what events, education and topics you missed, visit ICC's YouTube channel for short, to-the-point videos covering the best of conference. This week, we have ICC Fire Service Award winner Gary Lewis and the 2017 President's Award winners.

Accepting the 2017 ICC Community Service Award from Awards Committee Chairman Richard Truitt (left) on behalf of Women in Code Enforcement and Development and PermitTechNation are Amber Armstrong (center) and Cindi Somers (right).

WICED and PTN receive ICC Community Service Award

The Women in Code Enforcement and Development (WICED) and PermitTechNation (PTN) received one of two ICC Community Service Awards presented for meritorious service to promote public health, safety and welfare. Working together, these two organizations have established a growing tradition of service that has become a highlight of ICC annual conferences — volunteering their time and energy to work with Habitat for Humanity.

PMI delegation advocates for WaterSense, tax reform on Capitol Hill

A delegation of Plumbing Manufacturers International (PMI) member executives took to Capitol Hill this week to tell Congressional representatives about the important public health and economic roles their companies play while advocating for the Environmental Protection Agency's WaterSense program and pro-growth tax and trade policies during PMI's annual Executive Forum and Fly-In. The Code Council was one of the participating organizations.

Calls for ICC standards committees

ICC is currently seeking applications for the Consensus Committee on Landscape Irrigation Emission Devices (IS-IEDC | ICC-802), the Consensus Committee on Storm Shelters (IS-STM | ICC 500) and the Consensus Committee on Residential High-Wind Construction (IS-RHW | ICC 600). Volunteers are one of the most important assets of the International Code Council. Read more on this opportunity to serve on an ICC standards committee.

Significant changes to the 2015 PMG codes

Condensate pumps are often located in attics and crawl spaces and above ceilings where they are not readily observable. If they fail, the condensate overflow can cause structural damage to the building, especially where the overflow will not be noticed immediately. An addition to Section 307.6 states that condensate pumps located in uninhabitable spaces and used with condensing fuel-fired appliances and cooling equipment must be connected to the appliance or equipment served by the pump to prevent water damage in the event of pump failure.

The Chinese Zhejiang Academy of Building Research & Design delegation at ICC's Governmental Affairs Office in Washington, D.C.

Chinese delegation learns ICC's history, organization and activities

A delegation from the Chinese Zhejiang Academy of Building Research & Design visited the International Code Council's Governmental Affairs Office in Washington, D.C. The Chinese delegation was headed by Vice General Manager Wang Tianfeng, who met with ICC Senior Vice President of Government Relations Sara Yerkes and Vice President of National Fire Service Activities Robert Neale. The delegates learned about ICC, the development and use of the International Codes, and about ICC Evaluation Service services.

The customer comes first with ICC-SRCC

Superior customer service is a day-to-day, person-by-person achievement for staff at the ICC Solar Rating & Certification Corporation (ICC-SRCC). For a first-time, small start-up business owner, the solar-water-heating certification process seemed overwhelming. ICC-SRCC staff went the extra mile, guiding the owner through the certification process, renewal process, invoicing, fee schedules and other processes over the course of a year with exemplary professionalism and courtesy.

Strong building codes minimize destruction during Irma

As homeowners in Florida begin to take stock of the damage from Hurricane Irma, one pattern is beginning to emerge: homes that were built to the stricter building codes seem to have fared better.

Are you prepared for your career as a permit technician?

Want to take your career as a permit technician to the next level? The upcoming ICC Permit Technician Institute will be held Oct. 16-17 in the Seattle area. This institute will feature topics such as code administration, customer relations skills and techniques, and code compliance.

HERS Raters set quality inspection standards

More than 300 state and local jurisdictions across the U.S. approve RESNET HERS Raters to conduct and verify energy code compliance. With training and education recognized by federal government agencies and the Code Council and having rated more than two million homes to date, code officials can rely on them to conduct energy code compliance verification that adheres to quality assurance standards.

EPA approves ICC-ES as a licensed certifier of spray sprinkler bodies

ICC Evaluation Service (ICC-ES) was transitionally approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the WaterSense program as a licensed certifier of spray sprinkler bodies. ICC-ES can now evaluate and certify such products to the EPA specification (which references ICC/ASABE 802).

Harvey could reshape how and where Americans build homes

In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, a debate is beginning over building codes. Bloomberg reports that despite being one of the states most vulnerable to storms, Texas has one of the most relaxed approaches to building codes, inspections and other protections. The state is one of just four along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts with no mandatory statewide building codes, according to the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety, and it has no statewide program to license building officials.

What we're reading, following & covering

There's a lot happening — domestically and globally — in building safety, fire prevention, sustainability and resiliency right now. Our aim is to provide busy professionals like you with a run-down of the most compelling industry news stories concerning the safety, science and performance of the built environment.

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