June 5th, 2012
by International Code Council

The International Code Council and the National Fire Protection Association Launch the Coalition for Current Safety Codes

The International Code Council and the National Fire Protection Association today announced the formation of the Coalition for Current Safety Codes (CCSC). The coalition will advance public safety in the built environment by advocating states and municipal jurisdictions adopt current building, fire prevention, sustainable, electrical and life safety codes.

“For more than 100 years, the public and government on all levels have benefited from the life and property saving work of private standards developing organizations (SDOs),” said NFPA President Jim Shannon. “The Coalition for Current Safety Codes is an effort to ensure those same parties are taking full advantage of the latest information in the most up to date codes.”

“ICC and NFPA have a rich history and dedicated members who devote themselves each day to ensuring the development of safe and sustainable communities,” said ICC CEO Rick Weiland. “The efforts of our memberships have dramatically strengthened codes and standards—protecting the public. This coalition is a great way to spread the word about how to protect the environment, and the health and welfare of our society.”

ICC and NFPA will seek broad participation in the coalition from other SDOs, the construction and insurance industries, government and the private sector to raise awareness about the importance of and steps needed to provide up to date buildings where people live, work, play and go to school. The two associations are coming together to co-chair the coalition because of a mutual commitment to public safety and in an effort to create even broader support for the adoption of modern codes and standards.

Codes and standards are updated on regular cycles to benefit from new science, lessons learned from disasters, and new technologies and products. Both associations are among a number of SDOs that provide support to government by engaging in public/private sector collaboration to develop codes that support health, safety and the environment. As a result, government does not take on the high cost of developing its own codes and benefits from code uniformity that enables safe and affordable construction growth. Learn more and join the coalition at www.coalition4safety.org.

The International Code Council The International Code Council is a member-focused association dedicated to helping the building safety community and construction industry provide safe and sustainable construction through the development of codes and standards used in the design, build and compliance process in use around the country and the world. Visit ICC’s website at www.iccsafe.org for more information.

NFPA is a worldwide leader in fire, electrical, building and life safety. The mission of the international nonprofit organization founded in 1896 is to reduce the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life by providing and advocating consensus codes and standards, research, training and education. Visit NFPA’s website at www.nfpa.org for more information.

Pictured from left are ICC Board Member and Fairfax County Code Specialist, Guy Tomberlin; Harford County, Md., Councilman, Joe Woods; Washington, D.C., Fire and EMS Chief Kenneth Ellerbe; ICC CEO Rick Weiland; NFPA President Jim Shannon; Washington, D.C., Deputy Building Official Jatinder Singh Khokhar; IAFC CEO Mark Light; and Washington, D.C., Chief Building Official Robbie Sabbakhan.
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International Code Council
The International Code Council is a nonprofit association that provides a wide range of building safety solutions, including product evaluation, accreditation, certification, codification and training. It develops model codes and standards used worldwide to construct safe, sustainable, affordable and resilient structures.