Month: December 2017

The Code Council unveils new resources to promote code officials

The Value of the Code Official toolkit builds awareness about building safety and encourages young professionals to join the industry

Washington, D.C. – The International Code Council launches a new online resource, the Value of the Code Official toolkit. This toolkit helps government officials, Code Council members and others build awareness for the code official’s significant role within their communities.

Code officials review plans and conduct inspections to guarantee every building constructed follows the community’s codes and standards. Structures constructed in accordance with updated building codes are more likely to withstand disasters, saving lives and reducing the cost and time needed for rebuilding. The most widely utilized and adopted set of building safety codes in the U.S., the International Codes, result in the highest level of building safety in the industrial world.

This new resource also encourages students and young professionals to join the industry’s pipeline of qualified professionals. According to a 2014 study, the building industry will experience a loss of 80 percent of the existing skilled workforce over the next 15 years. Retirements combined with a growing demand for skilled labor make the booming construction industry a tremendous opportunity for young adults entering the workforce.

“The Value of the Code Official toolkit builds on the Code Council’s innovative work through the High School Technical Training Program, the Military Families Building Safety Program and our other Safety 2.0 programs,” said Code Council Board President Jay Elbettar, P.E. “In the wake of the recent destructive hurricane season and widespread California wildfires, we continue to highlight the critical role of the code official in creating safe buildings and resilient communities.”

The Value of the Code Official toolkit includes:

• Talking points;
• Presentation slides with notes for the presenter;
• A flyer for electronic and print distribution;
• A video – Code Officials: Building Safety Today for a Stronger Tomorrow.

For more information, visit www.iccsafe.org/codeofficialtoolkit.

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About the International Code Council
The International Code Council is a member-focused association. It is dedicated to developing model codes and standards used in the design, build and compliance process to construct safe, sustainable, affordable and resilient structures. Most U.S. communities and many global markets choose the International Codes.

The Code Council welcomes three key new employees

The new staff members will support ICC’s accreditation,
energy and marketing programs

Washington, D.C. – The International Code Council welcomes three new staff members: Helga Alexander, Program Manager of Calibration Laboratory Accreditation for the International Accreditation Service (IAS); Michelle Britt, Director of the Energy Program; and Shannon Homolka, Marketing Manager for the Code Council Learning Center and S.K. Ghosh Associates.

• Helga Alexander has more than 20 years of experience as an engineer. She began her career in the optics area and then became involved in metrology and calibration. Previously, she worked for the Southern Research Institute in Birmingham, Ala., as a Quality Management Systems Manager, and for Keithley Instruments in Cleveland, Ohio, as Metrology Manager. Helga is an active member of numerous professional societies that encourage and promote accreditation and engineering. She has a Master of Science in Physics from Cleveland State University and a Bachelor of Science in Physics from The University of Alabama in Huntsville. Download photo
• Michelle Britt has over 15 years of experience working with energy codes and building energy performance nationally and in the Pacific Islands. She was a partner with Britt/Makela Group serving national, state and local governments, industry, and nonprofits including the Code Council. Previously, she was a Senior Research Scientist with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies and a Master’s degree in Architecture.
• Shannon Homolka is an accomplished marketing professional with over 15 years of diverse integrated marketing and communications expertise. Previously, she was a Marketing Manager for Gateway Alcohol and Drug Treatment and Advocate Health Care. She holds an MBA in Marketing from Lewis University, where she also teaches part-time as an adjunct faculty member.

“We are extremely excited to welcome these three new very talented professionals to our team,” said Code Council Chief Executive Officer Dominic Sims, CBO. “Their expertise and knowledge concerning accreditation, energy and marketing will greatly increase our staff capabilities and enhance our ability to support our members and advance our building safety mission.”

Download a photo of Helga Alexander

Download a photo of Michelle Britt

Download a photo of Shannon Homolka

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About the International Code Council
The International Code Council is a member-focused association. It is dedicated to developing model codes and standards used in the design, build and compliance process to construct safe, sustainable, affordable and resilient structures. Most U.S. communities and many global markets choose the International Codes.

ICC-ES adds new evaluation services for alternative seismic force-resisting systems

The company will develop new acceptance criteria based on FEMA P695

BREA, Calif. – The ICC Evaluation Service (ICC-ES) is adding evaluations of alternative seismic force-resisting systems to its extensive list of product evaluations.

The 2018 International Building Code (IBC), released in September 2017, references the latest version of the American Society of Civil Engineers standard, Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures (ASCE/SEI 7-16). ASCE 7-16 allows for the use of rational methodology to validate design criteria for seismic force-resisting systems, which includes alternative systems that were not previously recognized. Before the 2018 IBC was released, ICC-ES evaluated only those seismic force-resisting systems recognized in ASCE 7-10, the prior version of the standard, or equivalent systems.

To set in place procedures as to how ICC-ES will evaluate alternative seismic force-resisting systems, the company will develop new acceptance criteria that outline provisions for the evaluation of alternative seismic force-resisting systems using the principles in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Quantification of Building Seismic Performance Factors (FEMA P695). This publication outlines a method for determining seismic design coefficients and factors for alternative structural systems to limit the collapse probability of buildings using those systems to the nationally-recognized level of acceptability.

“We are pleased to announce the decision to evaluate alternative seismic force-resisting systems,” said ICC-ES Vice-President of Engineering Gary Nichols, P.E. “ICC-ES continually evaluates products to the latest codes, and we encourage all manufacturers to also comply with the latest codes for market acceptance.”

ICC-ES will post the proposed new acceptance criteria on the alternative criteria development process agenda for public comment soon.

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About the International Code Council
The International Code Council is a member-focused association. It is dedicated to developing model codes and standards used in the design, build and compliance process to construct safe, sustainable, affordable and resilient structures. Most U.S. communities and many global markets choose the International Codes.

About ICC-ES

The ICC Evaluation Service (ICC-ES), a member of the ICC Family of Companies, is a nonprofit, limited liability company that does technical evaluations of building products, components, methods and materials. ICC-ES evaluation reports, building product listings and plumbing, mechanical and fuel gas listings provide evidence that products and systems meet requirements of codes and technical standards.