Four Chapter Merit Awards were presented at this year's Annual
Conference. Merit awards are presented to chapters that distinguish
themselves through activities that demonstrate the goals and
objectives of ICC Chapters receiving 2005 Merit Award honors
are:
California Building Officials, founded in 1962, is
a statewide association representing more than 600 jurisdictions.
This year, CALBO's top priority was to lobby the California
Building Standards Commission to overturn its previous code
decisions and pave the way for adoption of the I-Codes. CALBO
testified at every Commission hearing. Throughout the process,
CALBO was instrumental in creating awareness of the I-Codes
as the best choice for California's building, fire and residential
codes. Concerned with the public's lack of understanding of
the work of building departments, CALBO also launched a public
outreach and education campaign this year. With the help of
a public relations firm, the chapter designed public safety
messages highlighting the efforts of code enforcement officers.
The messages have been built into CALBO's educational curriculum
and are used by members at speaking appearances. CALBO plans
to build a PR infrastructure that can be continued by association
leaders in the coming years.
The Southern Nevada Chapter is a local chapter with
more than 200 members, many of which serve at every level
of the national code-development organizations. Each year,
the Southern Nevada Chapter hosts the EduCode Conference,
which offers classes to members and other professionals on
architecture, construction, fire protection, special inspection
and many other code-related topics. This year, nearly 1,000
people from across the country attended EduCode's 2,248 classes.
This entire effort is run by 60 chapter volunteers who contribute
approximately 4,000 hours of their time each year. Working
in partnership with the Southern Nevada Home Builders and
Associated General Contractors, the Southern Nevada Chapter
of ICC lobbied for the adoption of the 2003 International
Energy Conservation Code. Together, the groups also developed
local amendments to the IECC and offered "Train the Trainer"
sessions to aid the public and private sectors in training
their staff on the IECC provisions.
The Southern New Mexico Building Officials Association
is an emerging ICC chapter that represents the southern half
of New Mexico. Its 65 members include building officials,
inspectors, contractors, architects, fire marshals and fire
chiefs. This year, SNMBOA joined with the New Mexico Fire
Marshals Association to host a joint business meeting
and conference. The event included training that brought together
building and fire officials for a series of ICC classes aimed
at forging long term relationships between the two organizations.
SNMBOA also works with a local homebuilders' chapter. The
two groups recently collaborated on a series of seminars,
including one on the transition from the 1997 UBC to the 2003
IRC and another to educate local contractors about the EPA's
Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan. To enhance the image
of building officials and code enforcers, SNMBOA works with
the Ruidoso Valley Chamber of Commerce to help establish positive
relations between the chapter and local business owners.
The Virginia Plumbing and Mechanical Inspectors Association,
founded in 1959, is a statewide chapter of more than 300 members
who strive for uniformity and consistency in the application
of the I-Codes. VPMIA has four code development committees
that discuss, develop and propose code changes. Several chapter
members serve on other committees responsible for training,
certification and code development. The chapter's legislative
committee keeps a close watch on bills in the legislature,
supporting positive code changes. Recently, VPMIA helped to
establish state requirements for timely certification of inspectors
entering code enforcement. VPMIA members taught more than
1,500 courses on the I-Codes to inspection and plan review
personnel this year. Classes are held at the Virginia Building
Code Academy and at VPMIA's bi-annual School of Instruction.
VPMIA will partner with the Virginia Building and Code
Officials Association and Virginia Fire Prevention
Association in October to hold the first joint conference
in the state's history.
Each chapter merit award winner will receive one complimentary
registration to next year's Annual Conference in Lake Buena
Vista, Florida. Congratulations to the recipients of the 2005
Chapter Merit Awards!
Contact
1-888-ICC-SAFE (422-7233), ext. 33804
ICC Chapter Relations
Has Moved! Click
here for new page
