The American Insurance Association supports stronger codes to reduce losses from natural disasters. The Association¸ representing 350 major insurance companies, says it has a subcommittee to establish structural building requirements to minimize losses from wind, flood and earthquakes in areas with significant catastrophe exposure.

Research team proposing code changes to FEMA. A team of researchers studying the impact of the Southeast Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina say both have similar effects on buildings. The team, funded by the National Science Foundation, has already prepared a report for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) proposing building code changes.

Buildings, cars and personal property were all destroyed when the earthquake struck Northridge, California, on January 17, 1994. (FEMA)

Earthquakes lead to code changes. A recent report in The Signal, a California newspaper, highlights changes made to building codes following the 1994 Northridge Earthquake. Updates include outlawing brick walls with no reinforcements and designing buildings to resist the lateral force of an earthquake or aftershock.

Code training hits the web in Louisiana. Training videos for Louisiana building inspectors will be available free online. According to The Advertiser, one video is an introductory "how-to" for inspecting homes for wind-related code compliance. The second is to educate home builders and designers on wind-resistant construction techniques. The videos were developed by housing industry and national wind code experts.

Bell

Ohio announces new State Fire Marshal. The state's Director of Commerce named retiring Toledo Fire Chief Mike Bell Ohio's top fire investigative, training and code enforcement officer. Bell assumes the position on May 1. The Toledo Blade says the Ohio Division of State Fire Marshal is the oldest established office of its kind in the United States.

Getting fire-ready in California. Napa Firewise kicked off its 2007 wildfire awareness season with newspaper columns to help residents prepare their homes and property to survive wildland fires. Assistant Napa County Fire Marshal Mike Wilson is the Napa Firewise coordinator. Read some of his wildfire protection tips in the Napa Valley Register.

NEW PRODUCTS

Building Codes Illustrated for Healthcare Facilities List
$50.00 | Member $45.00
Published by Wiley and co-branded with the Code Council, the Building Codes Illustrated for Healthcare Facilities is part of a new series covering building code issues for specific building types based on the 2006 International Building Code (IBC). Architects need an interpretive guide to understand how the building code affects the early design of specific projects. This illustrative guide presents the complex code issues inherent to healthcare facility design in a clear, easily understandable format.

The Building Official's and Inspector's Guide to Codes, Forms, and Complaints
List $39.95 | Member $35.95
This new book features a compilation of legal notices, letters, complaints and other documents inspectors use for effective enforcement of the most common code problems encountered in the field. Valuable checklists help users follow the required steps in enforcement, and tables assist inspectors in better understanding the code. Even if a municipality does not use the IBC, the documents can be adapted for local uses.

The following are upcoming events at which ICC staff will attend and/or host an exhibition booth:
June 1, CREIA Exam Development Committee (EDC), Santa Ana, CA
June 3-5, NFPA World Safety Conference, Boston, MA
June 3-6, Building Officials Association of Florida, Orlando, FL
June 4-6, Building Inspector EDC, Orlando, FL
June 10-14, Texas State Association of Plumbing Inspectors, Corpus Christi, TX
June 14-16, Florida Roofing, Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors Association, Orlando, FL
June 14-16, New York State Association of Fire Chief's Fire 2007 Conference, Lake George, NY
June 28-29, Wyoming Electrical EDC, Cheyenne, WY
July 9-10, Washington AST/UST EDC, Olympia, WA
July 12-14, Special Concrete Inspector EDC, Salt Lake City, UT

ICC ePARTNERS Volume III, Issue 5 May 2007 ICC Vision and Mission Statements Vision Protecting the health, safety, and welfare of people by creating better buildings and safer communities. Mission Providing the highest quality codes, standards, products, and services for all concerned with the safety and performance of the built environment.

CEO Rick Weiland appreciates your feedback on this enewsletter. Please send your comments to COO Dominic Sims, 1-888-ICC-SAFE (422-7233), ext. 5267. ICC and its affiliates and subsidiaries respect your right to privacy. To read ICC's Privacy Policy, click here. If you no longer wish to receive e-mail from us, please click here. For more information on ICC’s Strategic Partners, Supporting Organizations and Participating Organizations, click here. To subscribe to ePartners, click here. To make sure you continue to receive ICC ePartners in your inbox (not sent to bulk or junk folders), please add eNewsLetter@iccsafe.org to your address book. ©2007 International Code Council, World Headquarters; 500 New Jersey Avenue, NW, 6th Floor, Washington, DC 20001 USA

Sprinkler Requirements Remain in IRC Appendix

	More than 600 proposed code changes were debated during the Final Action Hearings in Rochester, New York, including the proposal to include sprinkler requirements for one- and two-family dwellings in the IRC.

Requirements for sprinklers to be included in the International Residential Code (IRC) will remain in the code's appendix. During Final Action Hearings last week in Rochester, New York, voting members of the Code Council voted not to include sprinkler requirements for one- and two-family dwellings in the code. First, voting members overturned a committee recommendation to deny a change that would have required sprinklers in all housing built under the IRC. That resulted in a motion to include requirements for sprinklers in the code. The vote, which needed a two-thirds majority to pass, received only 56 percent of the votes cast supporting the measure.

The measure was one of more than 600 proposed code changes at the hearings. Results are available on the Code Council's website.

Building Awareness for Building Safety

	From left, U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter of Colorado, Code Council Board member Gerald George and the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) Greening the Codes Committee Chair David Eisenberg at the Council's Congressional Reception.

Representatives from several partnering organizations participated in the Code Council's 2007 Building Safety Week activities in Washington, D.C. Events included the Raising Profile Summit, Capitol Hill Day and Silent Defenders Awards Dinner.

Read more about 2007 Building Safety Week.

Proposed Grant Program Highlights BSW

Code Council CEO Rick Weiland (left), Government Relations Advisory Committee member and Tennessee constituent Barbara Betts Nixon, and Board President Wally Bailey (right) discuss the proposed Community Building Code Administration Grant Program with U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon of Tennessee, Chairman of the House Science and Technology Committee.

One of the features of 2007 Building Safety Week activities was the Code Council's annual Capitol Hill Day, which focused on ICC's proposed Community Building Code Administration Grant Program. In more than 130 meetings on Capitol Hill with Congressional offices, Council leaders promoted the proposal that would provide federal grants to building departments to enhance their code enforcement capabilities.

Raising the Profile of the Code Official

From left, Code Council Board President Wally Bailey, who initiated the Raising the Profile Summit, discusses ways to improve public perception of code officials with International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials Business and Product Development Senior Director Allen Inlow, International City/County Management Association (ICMA) Strategic Partners Executive Susan Benton, and former ICMA Past President Bruce Romer.

The Code Council's Raising the Profile Summit, held during Building Safety Week, brought together industry representatives to discuss the important role code officials play in making everyday life safer, ways to challenge the current public perception code officials face, and other organizations that might be interested in joining the coalition.

ICC Tours New NAHB Facility

	Code Council Board President Wally Bailey (right) and Mike Luzier, President and CEO of the NAHB Research Center, tour the warehouse at the new laboratory.

Code Council representatives toured the new laboratory of the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) Research Center in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, during Building Safety Week. The 42,000-square foot facility, which is scheduled for completion next month, will be used to test the durability of building products used in new home construction, conduct market research for building product manufacturers, and conduct code conformity and quality assurance testing.

Committee Named for Green Standard
The Consensus Committee for the National Green Building Standard is made up of more than 40 groups representing a broad spectrum of the building industry. Its purpose is to review the working draft of the national standard based on the National Association of Home Builders' (NAHB) Model Green Home Building Guidelines and to develop the ICC/NAHB National Green Building Standard. View the committee roster.

MOU Signed with USGBC
The Code Council and U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to further green building practices between the two organizations. The event took place during Building Safety Week at Code Council Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

ASU Benefits from Code Book Donations

From left, Code Council Government Relations Regional Manager Dave Nichols, Arizona AIA Treasurer and President Elect James Trahan, Arizona AIA Board member Barry Goldstein, ASU College of Design Dean Wellington Reiter, and Council Board member Barbara Koffron.

To help students of architecture better understand the role of codes in building designs and plans, the Code Council is working with the American Institute of Architects (AIA) to place a complete set of International Codes (I-Codes) in the libraries of AIA-accredited schools of architecture. Recently, Council Board member Barbara Koffron was on hand to present copies of the I-Codes and the ICC/ANSI A117 Standard to the Arizona State University (ASU) College of Design.

ICC Cosponsors Restoration 2007

	From left, Jon Luther, Executive Vice President of the Home Builders Association of Greater New Orleans, visits with the Code Council's Federal Program Liaison Richard Kuchnicki, CEO Rick Weiland and Government Relations Regional Manager Mark Roberts at the Restoration 2007 conference.

The Code Council was a cosponsor of this year's Restoration 2007 conference, hosted by the International City/County Management Association in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Council conducted two education sessions on the International Accreditation Service Building Department Accreditation program and SMARTcodes, the new automated code compliance checking system. Speaking to Restoration attendees, Code Council CEO Rick Weiland pointed out that as New Orleans continues to recover from Hurricane Katrina, the city has an opportunity to build back its structures stronger and smarter.

Earthquake Hazards Discussed at Meeting

Anne vonWeller

Former Code Council Past President Ann vonWeller is a member of the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Advisory Committee on Earthquake Hazards Reduction panel that met May 10-11 in Gaithersburg, Maryland, to discuss National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program activities and the annual report. The final agenda is available.

ICC Joins World Plumbing Council
The Code Council has been confirmed as a voting member of the World Plumbing Council. With member organizations, affiliates and partners across the globe, the World Plumbing Council's mission is to unite the plumbing industry to safeguard and protect the environment and the health of nations.

New Product Registration Program Goes Live

"The new product registration provides you, the ICC cus-tomer, with a number of complimentary, ex-clusive benefits direct-ly associated with the products you buy," says Mark Johnson, Senior VP of Product Development.

The Council's new Product Registration program went live last week with the launch of the CodesPlus home page. CodesPlus allows users to register their 2006 International Codes and the ICC/ANSI A117.1-2003 Standard, no matter who they purchase the code from, to receive value-added services.

Modernization Plan Submitted for NYC Codes

While in New York City recently, Code Council representatives visited with Mayor Michael Bloomberg (center). The delegation included, from left, Director of State and Local Government Relations Dottie Harris, consultant Kathleen Cudahy, CEO Rick Weiland and Government Relations SVP Sara Yerkes. (Photo by Spencer Tucker)

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Buildings Commissioner Patricia Lancaster announced the submission of a landmark modernization of the City Building Code, the first since 1968, to the City Council for review and consideration. The Mayor commended the hard work and hundreds of hours voluntarily put into this effort, and mentioned the Code Council's International Codes several times.

Survey Says Iowa Cities Prefer I-Codes
An informal survey conducted by the Clinton Herald shows that Iowa cities have reached a virtual consensus on the importance of the International Building and International Residential Codes.