In this issue:

• Welcome to ICC Chapter eNewsletter
• Activities planned for Detroit
• Silent Auction to benefit charity
• Support the Fowler Scholarship Fund
• 2006 Call for Presentations
• Chapter News
• PSAs and video packages available
• Opportunity to assist disabled vets
• FEMA, ICCF partner on reducing flood loss
• Chapters assist family

New Chapters

Four new organizations have been granted chapter status by the ICC Board of Directors: Brazos Valley Chapter in Texas; Downriver Association of Code Officials in Michigan; New York State Building Officials Conference, Capital District Chapter; and North Carolina Fire Marshals Association.

For more information on ICC's new chapters, click here. To view a map of all ICC chapters, click here.

Hurricane Preparedness Tool Kits available

ICC has assembled Hurricane Preparedness Tool Kits and distributed them to members of Congress whose constituents may be impacted by hurricanes. The kits are a compilation of materials available from ICC, FEMA, the American Red Cross and similar organizations that address hurricane preparedness in a variety of subjects. The kits are designed to aid Members of Congress with materials to aid them and their constituents in preparing for the impact of a hurricane and dealing with the aftermath.

To read more about the Hurricane Preparedness Tool Kits, click here. The kits can be downloaded by clicking here.

BSW survey identifies likely code violations

While code officials, designers and contractors work as a team to build the safest homes and buildings possible, a new Building Safety Week survey identifies the most commonly found code violations. To read more about the survey, click here.

Chapters co-sponsor institute

More than 145 housing and code enforcement professionals attended the recent 2005 Property Maintenance and Housing Institute held in Chicago. The Institute was sponsored by several ICC Chapters as well as the American Association of Code Enforcement. ICC Chapters are also sponsoring upcoming events in Las Vegas and Kansas City. Click here for more details. To view more seminars in conjunction with chapters, click here.

Present a Cracker Barrel session at conference

Chapter leaders have the opportunity to present Cracker Barrel sessions during ICC's Annual Conference on Tuesday, Sept. 27, from 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. ICC's Cracker Barrel events are round table discussions featuring more than 60 topics involving groups of eight to 10 people each. As a presenter, you can expect to deliver a technical or administrative session for three, 20-minute sessions. For more information, click here.

Donations made to Tsunami Relief Fund

The International Code Council Foundation (ICCF) is collecting donations to aid victims of the December tsunami disaster. The following ICC chapters have made donations to the Tsunami Relief Fund: Colorado Chapter, Finger Lakes Building Officials Association and Grand Canyon Chapter. For more information, click here.

Regions Update

Several Regions will hold informal meetings during the ICC Annual Conference in Detroit, Michigan, on Sept. 27, from 5:00-7:00 p.m. Regions currently planning to meet are II, III, IV, V and X. Regions Bulletin Boards are available in the Chapter section of the ICC Web site and can be found by clicking here. To read reports from recent regional activities, click here.

Contact Us

More Chapter information can be found on the Web by clicking here. You can also dial 1-888-ICC-SAFE (422-7233) and reach the following:

Laura Scott, ext. 7203
lscott@iccsafe.org

Patty Bond, ext. 7205
pbond@iccsafe.org

Vikki Paloma, ext. 4204
vpaloma@iccsafe.org

ICC Chapter eNewsletter Volume 1, Issue 1 August 2005

Welcome to ICC Chapter eNewsletter

COO Rick Weiland

Greetings and welcome to the inaugural edition of the ICC Chapter eNewsletter. We hope you will find this quarterly electronic communication both informative and helpful. We have made a concerted effort over the last year to better communicate with our chapters, members and other customers, and ICC Chapter eNewsletter is the most recent effort to reach out with what we hope will be useful information.

Over the past couple of months, I have had the opportunity to meet with chapters from Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, South Dakota and Wyoming. These face-to-face conversations about current issues and concerns were both productive and educational. It is the reason ICC Board of Directors President Frank Hodge has made reaching out to our members with these kinds of visits one of his top priorities.

While visiting all of our 300 chapters in a year's time might be a bit of a stretch, ICC Chapter eNewsletter should help bridge the communication divide. Good communication is a two way exchange and we need your help. If you are a chapter officer who has provided us with an e-mail address, you will automatically receive this newsletter. But we would like to expand our readership to all chapter members, so please forward this newsletter to your chapter contacts today and encourage them to subscribe by clicking here.

We would also like to encourage you to send us an e-mail and a photo and tell us what is new and exciting in your organization. The deadline for submissions to the next ICC Chapter eNewsletter is October 3, 2005. Please send your news items and pictures to Trey Hughes, Manager of Periodicals, thughes@iccsafe.org. This year, more than 200 chapters submitted an annual report by the June deadline and qualified for benefits. That means that more than 200 chapter presidents will receive a complimentary registration to this year's annual conference in Detroit. Thanks for meeting your chapter responsibility and for keeping us informed! I look forward to seeing you all in Detroit, Sept. 25-Oct. 2.

Activities planned for Detroit

Several chapter-related activities are planned for ICC’s 2005 Annual Conference in Detroit, Michigan. Events include the Chapter Presidents Breakfast, Leadership Education Program and Regions Meetings. Click here for more information on Chapter events for this year’s Annual Conference. For a complete schedule of the conference, click here.

Silent Auction to benefit YouthBuild Detroit

Chapters are encouraged to participate in the International Code Council Foundation’s (ICCF) Silent Auction during ICC’s 2005 Annual Conference in Detroit, Michigan. Proceeds will benefit YouthBuild Detroit, an organization that offers young residents life-changing opportunities by teaching them important trade skills while they rebuild the community. Click here for more details on this year’s Silent Auction. To read more about YouthBuild Detroit, click here.

Special message: Support the Fowler Memorial Scholarship Fund

Past President Anne vonWeller

The AIA-ICC Bob Fowler Memorial Scholarship Fund has been established in memory of the man who did so much for our nation’s building industry. To benefit the scholarship fund, a raffle is being held this year for a beautiful 2005 Harley-Davidson Dyna Low Rider motorcycle similar to Bob’s. The goal for ICC chapters is to sell at least 10 tickets for the event. Winners will be announced during the ICC Annual Conference in Detroit. Click here for more details.

2006 Conference Education Program
Call for Presentations

ICC is seeking proposals for educational sessions to be presented during the ICC 2006 Annual Conference Education Program, Sept. 18-19, 2006, in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Deadline is Nov. 1, 2005.

Chapter News

ICC President Frank Hodge recently attended the Building Officials Association of British Columbia meeting in Vancouver (pictured with BOABC’s Eddie Ho), and was joined by ICC CEO James Lee Witt at a joint conference in New Mexico. Also, new officers have been elected in New Hampshire and Washington. Click here for the latest news from ICC's Chapters.

PSAs and video packages available

Chapters can be recognized in their communities through the use of Public Service Announcements (PSAs) and Presentation Videos available from ICC.

Chapters can also contract with ICC for a wide range of media programs such as custom PSAs, seminar or meeting video taping, or custom presentations.

Click here for more details.

Opportunity to assist disabled vets

The International Code Council Foundation (ICCF) is developing Project H.E.R.O., a program designed to assist disabled veterans. When veterans with disabilities come back from battle, they often need help making their homes accessible.

As the program gets underway, the skills and services of ICC Chapters will be needed. Local volunteers in communities around the nation will sponsor and lead local teams, coordinate donations and funding, and provide renovations.

Click here for more information on Project H.E.R.O.

FEMA, ICCF partner on reducing flood loss

To help building departments in high-risk areas minimize future flood damages, the International Code Council Foundation (ICCF) and U.S. Department of Homeland Security — Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are distributing a new publication, Reducing Flood Losses through the International Codes.

FEMA and the ICCF are providing the publication, free of charge, to ICC Chapters to distribute to building departments in flood regions. Click here for more information.

Donations made to family of slain code enforcement officer

The Ohio Code Enforcement Officials Association and New York State Building Officials Conference, Rockland County Chapter have each made donations to the family of an East Texas code enforcement officer who was shot to death while conducting a routine check of a residence that failed to meet code.

Click here to read the rest of the story.