by Michael O'Brian on December 31, 2008
Fire Started by Fireworks brought in by Spectators or may have part of New Years Display
At least 55 people were killed when a fire ripped through a nightclub in the Thai capital Bangkok early Thursday. The fire broke out at the Santika Club as people were celebrating New Year, a local administration official said.
Santika club is located in the city’s Ekkamai district, a popular entertainment area for locals and foreigners. Various news reports indicate an electrical explosion may have been the cause of the fire, although it is not clear yet.
Local television stations variously reported the cause of the blaze as a firework set off because of the New Year celebrations and an electrical fault at the club. Reuters reports that “We were all dancing and suddenly there was a big [click to continue…]
by Michael O'Brian on December 31, 2008
2008 Year in Review Did it Meet Code?
If 2008 had a different Chinese name it would most likely be Sprinklers. The year had many changes to International Codes which will affect they way we build buildings in the near future. Inspectors from across the world have continued to build this community and to use technology to interact with other professionals.
When we look at code development, there was an influx of inspectors and enforcers at code development meetings which has lead to the influence of our voice. In 2008 we saw the changes to this site which allows for greater interaction amongst all of you. Updates to our discussion areas and the ability to comment directly to posts and other stories on the web!
What are some of the big topics from 2008
by Michael O'Brian on December 11, 2008
“We felt the balance has shifted”
The International Code Council (ICC) heard testimony today about the National Association Home Builder’s (NAHB) appeal on code action on RB 64 07/08 and RB 66 07/08. The appeal process by the ICC occurred today and was chaired by Ron Lynn. The intent of the appeal is over the process that occurred, not in response to technical issues
The committee was made up of four representatives of the ICC. They heard testimony in favor the NAHB appeal as well as other interested parties testified in support of the appeal. Mr. Ed Sutton of the National Association of Home Builders summarized his testimony which stated the ICC could loose credibility and also stated that NAHB has funded travel in the past and supports the ICC to eliminate all 3rd party funding.
The testimony from various parties focused on the need for balance in [click to continue…]
by Michael O'Brian on December 9, 2008
The International Code Council and the Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are teaming up to reduce the loss of life and property caused by natural disasters. A memorandum of understanding calls for FEMA and the Code Council to support the maintenance, adoption, outreach, training and enforcement of disaster-resistant building safety codes to reduce human and economic losses resulting from natural hazards including hurricanes, earthquakes, tornados and flooding.
Steve Shapiro, past president stated “Our agreement with FEMA addresses the role of First Preventers, code and fire officials who prevent harm by ensuring compliance with building safety codes before a disaster occurs,” who called for creating the Council’s Disaster Support Program. “Our members also have the experience and capability to provide help to communities during those moments when skilled extra hands are needed during response and recovery from natural disasters. Code compliance and [click to continue…]
by Michael O'Brian on November 23, 2008
Toilets, Appeals, Updates, and Joe the Plumber
This week has seen many newsworthy items that affect the business of enforcement of Codes. We have began the process of updating our checklist section and will have many of the updates come to life during December and January.
November 19, 2008 World Toilet Day
I realize that this post includes information on the NAHB, Toilets, and Joe the Plumber. Honestly, they have nothing to do with each other.
This last Wednesday was World Toilet Day. This day is based on the simple truth that 40% of the world’s population lacks proper sanitation. World Toilet day has been put together to bring to light and raiser awareness on this issue.
ICC Appeal
The Washington Association of Building Official (WABO) and the National Association of Home Buildings have [click to continue…]
by Michael O'Brian on November 11, 2008
Today, the ICC released the intention of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) to request a appeal hearing on RB 64 and RB 66 of the 2007/2008 code development cycle. The notice of appeal has been transmitted to interested parties by the ICC based on the appeal notification dated October 30, 2008, by the NAHB. The request by the NAHB claims that the ICC failed in providing a voluntary consensus standard and
The NAHB Claims:
- ICC states that its International Codes are developed using the governmental consensus process. Further, it claims that the ICC governmental consensus process meets the principles defined in OMB Circular A-119, Federal Participation in the Development and Use of Voluntary Consensus Standards and in Conformity Assessment Activities.
- The appeal Regrettably, voting on code changes RB64 and RB66 demonstrated an unequivocal failure of the ICC code development process to achieve real consensus on these code changes by not preventing a single interest group, specifically the fire service, from unfairly dominating the voting on these two proposals at the Final Action Hearings. The voting on these code changes clearly violated the principle of “balance of interest” specified in OMB Circular A-119 for a voluntary consensus body (see Attachment A.)
- ICC maintains that [click to continue…]
by Michael O'Brian on November 2, 2008
Don’t forget to change your clock and change your smoke alarm batteries!
UL has released free training on the dangers of engineered, lightweight truss construction. This training is based on the DHS funded research conducted by Underwriters Laboratory. The training includes video from the fire area and even the thermal imaging views. See the full story
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hat happens when contractors don’t do their job and the building inspector gets involved? What if the complaint can’t be heard because the contractor’s license has already been revoked? Bad contractors and bad work, leads to headaches!
Politics and Christmas trees, the new Wisconsin Fire Code has been recently adopted and has started many discussion on the use of Christmas trees in Churches. So does the Wisconsin Fire Code eliminate natural cut trees in assembly occupancies? (Check out the NIST video) [click to continue…]
by Michael O'Brian on October 19, 2008
This is the news for the previous week of October 13, 2008
The national fire academy has announced openings in many classes for the current semester. If you are a building or fire code official you should look into attending one of the many classes at the NFA. The cost is free (you have to may for meals and your travel should get reimbursed). There are great classes on suppression systems, plan review, and safety. It is also a great chance for building and fire code officials to team up and attend one of the programs.
Prior to the NFPA World Expo this year (hosted in Las Vegas), the NFPA standards council meet to discuss the fate of the protection standards for NFPA 1124 (Fireworks). NFPA has long cautioned users about the sale, storage, and use of fire works. The standard came under scrutiny and [click to continue…]
by Michael O'Brian on October 15, 2008
Can we learn from fires which occur thousands of miles away? Can fires which happen over seas affect the administration of our codes and standards? Recently a major fire occurred in China which killed many people was not highly publicized in the major US media markets.
Recently a fire is sparked by a performer in a China Nightclub resulting in 44 deaths and almost 100 injuries. The fire which sounds vaguely familiar to the Station Nightclub Fire took place at the Dance King in city of Shenzhen, near Hong Kong. The fire started late on September 20, 2008 and details are limited due to the government officials in China.
Many of the deaths are due to the unlicensed club’s in adequate egress systems. Party goers seem to express that aisles were to limited and people were crushed under the stampede to exit the building. The fire is the latest in a string of fires which have killed hundreds of people in [click to continue…]
by Michael O'Brian on October 14, 2008
Today residential sprinklers made the national news as Maryi-k Appy with the Home Fire Safety Council demonstrated the power of residential sprinklers. The demonstration was shown live from outside of Chicago in a side by side burn demonstration. The burn included two rooms, side by side, one with sprinklers and one without.
View the demonstration on NBC’s web-page
If you would like to do this demonstrations for your community there are plenty of resources available from the NFSA. These resources include floor plan, requirements, and safety procedures. For more information visit one of the links below
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