Welcome to the Plumbing, Mechanical and Fuel Gas
(PMG)
Resource Center
Jay Peters
Executive Director
A Renewed Focus
The year 2007 marks the beginning of a new era for the members of the International Code Council. In response to the needs of membership and the industry, the Code Council will place more emphasis on plumbing, mechanical and fuel gas as an integral part of building safety in the built environment. Code Council members design, install and inspect the most important life safety systems in a building. This includes flammable gas lines, safe drinking water systems, fresh air, medical gas delivery, safe sanitary waste removal, and even the efficient transport of explosive gases and dusts
from a building, just to name a few. The statistics point to the fact that to truly serve our members and the building safety community, the Code Council must enhance our activity, participation and investment in the plumbing, mechanical and fuel gas (PMG) areas.
After much study, research and input, a comprehensive strategic plan was developed and implemented to bring awareness of the Code Council’s expertise and participation in this area. The key focus will be to expand membership activity, enhance the Council’s technical experience, and collaborate with stakeholders in the plumbing, mechanical and fuel gas industry. This is an all-inclusive approach to strengthen the coordination of the Code Council’s family of codes, and it is already having an impressive impact. Organizations and members alike are reaching out to be a part of the activity.
Keys to Success
Although the program is in the early implementation phase, it is moving quickly. We participated in chapter meetings and conferences across the country to share our vision for a vibrant PMG program. Staff has presented at industry organizations’ annual conferences and exhibited at important trade shows and expos nationwide.
Our Washington, D.C., headquarters office has been a common meeting place to share the Code Council’s vision of inclusiveness. By reaching out to key industry stakeholders to discover areas of common ground among our membership groups we have made great strides in understanding each others needs and found opportunities to work together. This has been an especially successful venture. We will continue to develop friendships in hopes of creating mutually beneficial partnerships. Representatives from organizations including Underwriters Laboratories, National
Sanitation Foundation, Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors National Association and the Air Conditioning Contractors of America have all come to the table open minded and willing to share their ideas and visions as to ways we can collectively improve the industry. We have accepted an invitation to attend the World Skills competition in conjunction with attending the World Plumbing Council’s executive board meeting in Tokyo, Japan. Being approved as a voting member of the WPC is an exciting opportunity for the membership to share its vision for a safer world while simultaneously learning from other worldwide experts. Working closely with our Government Relations staff, we will continue to see the International Plumbing, Mechanical and Fuel Gas Codes continue their adoption momentum nationwide—one state, one county, one city and one township at a time.
Our concentration will then turn to enhancing services to support the International Codes and their users by constantly improving the technical accuracy of our educational programs and support documents. The technical expertise at the Code Council is second to none in the industry. It can safely be said that no other organization in our industry has the plumbing, mechanical and fuel gas experience that the Code Council has within the organization. The diversity of the group of professionals on staff is evident when you see that there are master plumbers, licensed air conditioning
contractors, certified inspectors, mechanical engineers, journeyman plumbers, and certified refrigeration technicians and sheet-metal installers working within the Code Council.
Invitation to the Membership
In order for this exciting initiative to become a complete success, membership involvement is crucial. It is the cornerstone of our association. How can you help? Establish a new PMG chapter in your area, join a PMG-related committee within the organization, volunteer to be on other industry related task teams and committees, submit an article of interest to the Building Safety Journal, represent the Code Council at a local trade show, or just call and ask how to help. We will gladly
accept your offer.
