Florida Legislature approves stricter Panhandle codes. Florida Governor Jeb Bush is expected to sign legislation that will end the Panhandle's exemption to tougher building codes for wind-borne-debris regions. The bill also requires the Florida Building Commission, not the state Legislature, to set hurricane building codes. Changes to the Panhandle codes take effect in May 2007.

Tens of thousands of homeowners face the start of the hurricane season with blue plastic tarps still covering their roofs. (Marvin Nauman/FEMA)

Gulf states still singing the blue roof blues. Tens of thousands of homeowners in Gulf Coast states face the start of the hurricane season with roofs still agape and leaking from damage caused by last year's storms. Plastic tarps serving as temporary patches still cover many roofs because workers and materials have been scarce, insurance payouts have been slow to arrive and smaller than homeowners expected, and the volume of repairs has strained local building inspectors and permitting offices. Click here to read more.

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich signs fire-safe cigarette law. To help prevent fires caused by smoldering cigarettes, the bill requires that all cigarettes sold in Illinois be certified as low-ignition. The requirement takes effect in 2008. Low-ignition cigarettes are wrapped in special paper containing a fire retardant band that can automatically extinguish the cigarette. Self-extinguishing cigarettes are one of ICC's legislative priorities.


FLASH honored for public education program. Home improvement guru Bob Vila and the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH) received the 2006 Governor's Hurricane Conference Excellence in Public Education/Public Information Award for their partnership in the Punta Gorda, Florida, Storm-Resistant Home Project, which has provided millions of people with life-saving hurricane mitigation information. FLASH has also received public education and service awards from the National Hurricane Conference, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Association and Texas Public Relations Association.

April construction advances four percent. The value of new construction starts increased four percent in April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $688.7 billion, according to McGraw-Hill Construction. Moderate gains were reported for non-residential building and non-building construction (public works and electric utilities), while residential building showed more modest growth.

A home in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward that was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

Restoration 2006 held in New Orleans. ICC co-sponsored last month’s Restoration 2006: Community and Economic Recovery After a Disaster Conference held in New Orleans. The conference, hosted by the International City/County Managers Association (ICMA), focused on long-term and sustainable community and economic recovery in the aftermath of a natural or manmade disaster.
CEO James Lee Witt joined New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin as a speaker during the opening session of the conference. ICC conducted educational sessions on how strong building codes protect lives and property and the importance of continuity of fire and rescue services, and managed a booth during the event's expo.
ICC staff also participated in a tour of New Orleans neighborhoods that were ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. The tour included visits to the Lakeside, St. Bernard Parish, and Upper and Lower Ninth Ward districts.

Remnants of Hurricane Katrina remain in New Orleans’ Lakeside neighborhood.

2003 IPC-SPANISH EDITION
#3200SS03$59.00$47.00
Provides comprehensive minimum regulations for plumbing facilities in both performance and prescriptive objectives, and provides for the acceptance of new and innovative products, materials and systems. (172 pages)

Código Internacional de Instalaciones Hidráulicas y Sanitarias 2003 Provee las regulaciones integrales mínimas para instalaciones hidrosanitarias en términos de objetivos preceptivos y de desempeño, además de estipular la aceptación de productos, materiales y sistemas nuevos e innovadores.

2003 IFGC-SPANISH EDITION
#3600SS03$59.00$47.00
Addresses the design and installation of fuel gas systems and gas-fired appliances through requirements that emphasize performance. (180 pages)

Código Internacional de Instalaciones de Gas Combustible 2003 Trata el diseño e instalación de sistemas de gas combustible y aparatos de gas mediante requerimientos que enfatizan el desempeño.

The following are upcoming events at which ICC staff will attend and/or host an exhibition booth:
June 15-16, Association of Idaho Cities Annual Conference, Lewiston, ID
June 15-18, Arkansas State Fire Chiefs and Firefighters Convention Fayetteville, AR
June 21-22, Association of Washington Cities Annual Conference, Spokane, WA
June 25-27, BOMA International Congress, Dallas, TX

ICC ePARTNERS
Volume II, Issue 6
June, 2006

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 James Lee Witt and COO Rick Weiland appreciate your feedback on this enewsletter. Please send your comments to Dominic Sims.

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.

Member Input Sought on ICC-IAPMO Discussions at Town Hall Meeting
ICC COO Rick Weiland has announced that planning is underway for a national Town Hall meeting to update members and stakeholders on the discussions between ICC and IAPMO to create a single plumbing code and a single mechanical code in support of the ICC mission of a single set of model codes. Topics scheduled for discussion about what the joint venture entails include the code development process slated to be used to develop a new plumbing code, how the codes will affect ICC members and code users, organizational implications, relationship to the ICC mission, certification, training, and product support.
The national Town Hall meeting takes place in Denver on July 15. Additional details on the meeting will be available soon.

ICC World Headquarters Moving to D.C.
ICC has announced the move of its headquarters office from Falls Church, Virginia, to Washington, D.C. According to President Henry Green and COO Rick Weiland, the move is intended to raise the profile of building safety and fire prevention professionals.
Weiland and the design team have finalized a lease agreement with the National Association of Realtors for substantial space at 500 New Jersey Avenue. Space plans for the new world headquarters office have been completed and construction is expected to be completed by the end of the year. The office will be located just a few blocks from the U.S. Capitol in the newly constructed, environmentally friendly, energy efficient, NAR building.

CBSC Sets Target Date for I-Code Adoption
The California Building Standards Commission (CBSC) recently approved Jan. 1, 2008, as the effective date for adoption of the California Building and Fire Codes with the understanding that the date is subject to change. ICC will be required to publish and make the codes available on or before July 1, 2007.
ICC is working with the CBSC to produce three code adoption monographs via eSolutions: the Code Advisory Committee (CAC), indicating proposed amendments by state agencies; the 45-Day Public Comment Period, outlining the results of the CAC meetings and agency responses; and Final Action of the CBSC, indicating its action on proposed amendments to the IBC and IFC.
California personnel are working on preliminary plans to address the future training, education and certification needs of the state.

Bureau of Prisons Moves Toward I-Codes
ICC recently visited with construction branch staff of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons concerning I-Code adoption. The department had been applying NFPA 101 and NFPA advised that NFPA 101 mandated the adoption of NFPA 5000. After trying to apply NFPA 5000 for the past four months, the Bureau is now working to adopt the IBC instead. To staff's knowledge, the National Cemetery Administration is the only federal agency applying NFPA 5000.

Mississippi’s Harrison County Adopts IBC
Supervisors approved the 2003 IBC to guide construction, as well as the 2005 NEC. The changes take effect immediately, but county code officials will have discretion in working with projects already under construction.

Capitol Hill Day a Success

	ICC Board Director John Darnall (right) visits with Congressman Brian Baird to talk about the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program.

ICC's Board of Directors and Government Relations Advisory Committee (GRAC) met with nearly 100 congressional representatives during Building Safety Week to advance the GRAC-endorsed, Board-approved legislative agenda.
Key elements of the agenda request support for state and local building code enforcement, Congressional support for federal wind and earthquake hazard programs, and encourage federal implementation of the Codes and Safety for the Americas Act. ICC's fire prevention and fire safety measures include promotion of fire-safe cigarette requirements, federal tax incentives for fire sprinkler installation in existing non-sprinklered buildings, and requirements for colleges to provide public fire-event-readiness information.
In a less formal setting with congressional policymakers, ICC hosted a Capitol Hill reception, with many strategic and public policy partners joining ICC. Click here for more BSW coverage.

Comprehensive Training Comes to Louisiana
The Building Officials Association of Louisiana and ICC launched a comprehensive training program to prepare for the January 2007 statewide adoption of the I-Codes. Thirty seminars will be delivered in Baton Rouge, Shreveport and Lafayette over the next five months, and training will also include a Code Official Institute.
ICC GR Regional Manager Mark Roberts is working with the chapter to secure a statewide audience for the training, and the ICC Marketing department is developing promotional materials.

Orientation for New Board Member;
Scholarship Winners Announced
COO Rick Weiland and Board President Henry Green joined Deputy COO Dominic Sims in hosting a Board orientation for new member Barbara Koffron in Birmingham. All four addressed staff at meetings in the main office and annex. Weiland and Green also congratulated Starla Slaght, daughter of Jim and Cynthia Slaght of Professional Development Services and Member Services, respectively, as being one of two winners of $5,000 grants awarded through the ICC Children of Employees Scholarship Program. Previously, while attending the Senior Management Tearm meeting in Chicago, Weiland and GR Senior Vice President Sara Yerkes congratulated Amanda Brockman, daughter of Curriculum Development Assistant Sue Brockman, as the other scholarship recipient.

Left, COO Rick Weiland and GR SVP Sara Yerkes congratulate Sue Brockman and her daughter Amanda, who was a scholarship recipient. Right, Weiland and President Henry Green congratulate Starla Slaght, daughter of Jim and Cynthia Slaght, who was another recipient.

ICC and the Navy discuss sprinklers. ICC staff participated in a meeting with the Naval Facilities Command on the subject of residential sprinklers, providing details on the IRC Appendix that addresses sprinklers. The Navy and other services adopt the IBC and other I-Codes, but the fire-side of the Navy uses NFPA 101 and wants to apply that to one- and two-family dwellings because it requires sprinklers. Others in the Navy support the IRC.

Plan review staff keeping busy. Plan reviews performed during the past six weeks include an Alaska high school, an Illinois Wal-Mart Super Center, a Texas office building, a Connecticut high school, a South Carolina condo project and a Texas hospital.

Staff updating 2003 code book: Updates are underway on the 2003 International Code Interpretation book. The 2006 edition will contain the Committee Interpretations that have been updated to reflect the provisions of the 2006 I-Codes.

Fire Official campaign off to a sizzling start. A membership recruitment campaign for fire officials has been launched, which includes printed advertisements in two national magazines, online banner ads, spots in two electronic newsletters and a mass mailing effort across the nation. The mailings contain a video presentation CD explaining the importance of involvement in ICC's code development process, and a 30-day trial version of the 2003 I-Codes Complete Collection. Viewers can apply online, sign up for ICC eNews, and access a free PDF version of the Fire Inspection Guide at the end of the presentation as added incentives. Staff will issue a unique "unlock" code to new members to make the 30-day trial version permanently accessible. Click here to view the video.

	IAS President Chuck Ramani (left) awards the IAS Building Department Accreditation Certificate to Paul Wilkins, Las Vegas Building and Safety Director.

First building department accreditation awarded. The City of Las Vegas Building Department recently became the first in the nation to earn IAS accreditation, signifying that the city's Building and Safety Department operates under the highest professional and technical standards. Seventeen other jurisdictions across the nation are currently going through the IAS accreditation process.

Evaluation Committee meets. The committee met May 31- June 2 to seek public input on 31 agenda items involving new or revised acceptance criteria. The IAC/ES Review Committee observed the hearing process and met with ES President John Nosse to discuss other elements of the product evaluation process. Also, a representative of the Institute of Building Technology and Safety sat in on the hearings and met with Committee Chairman Michael Clack to gain a better understanding of the code officials' position on accepting innovative products at the local level.

Staff discusses streamlining processes. Prior to the Evaluation Committee meeting, ES staff held an open forum for consultants and laboratories to discuss the organization of product application data. The goal was to focus technical staff efforts on the actual review process rather than locating needed data; a step that can often bog down the evaluations.

IAC/ES Review Committee meets. The committee established a schedule to review the overall ES process for the approval of products for use under current code provisions. The committee also expressed interest in responding to the IAC Committee ICC-ES Task Group Report on ES Acceptance Criteria. Members of the Review Committee are industry representatives Julie Ruth and Jonathan Humble, ICC Board representatives Jimmy Brothers and Adolf Zubia and ES Board representatives George Walker and Steve Regoli. Deputy COO Dominic Sims and ES President John Nosse provide staff support to this committee.

Charity selected for Annual Conference. The beneficiary of this year's Silent Auction will be Habitat for Humanity-Orlando, a non-profit organization devoted to transforming the lives of low-income families who reside in substandard housing, by bringing together volunteers to build homes and promote successful home ownership. Click here for more details.