|
A
Chapter of the International Code Council |
December 2005 P.O. Box 1028, Bel Air,
MD 21014 Issue 15
George
E. Martin, Jr. President Shahriar
Amiri 1st
Vice President Michael
L. Savage 2nd
Vice President Richard
C. Truitt, Sr. Secretary Phil
Waclawski Treasurer |
William
F. Bryant Immediate
Past President Dudley
W. Bostic Director
at Large Clifford
J. Lee Director
at Large James
Moore Director
at Large James
Hanna Ex-Officio
Member |
2006 Codes Forum
The International Code Council has
announced the 2006 Codes Forum to be held
MBOA/ICC Workshops
MBOA has teamed up with ICC to co-sponsor seminars
listed later in this newsletter. Please
check them out.
For more information, see the ICC website at www.iccsafe.org
Actions by the Board
The Board of Directors of the Maryland
Building Officials Association meets monthly to plan for future
activities. Please contact the Board
members to give them your ideas on how MBOA can serve you better. They need to hear from you.
ICC, IAPMO set February
as a critical meeting date
The
International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) and the
International
Code Council (ICC) will meet in February to begin work in earnest in an effort
to determine whether the organizations can agree on all of the essential
elements, which would be needed in order to create joint plumbing and
mechanical codes, according to representatives of both organizations.
IAPMO and ICC
Board members and staff met in
We’re
Not Supposed To Be Nice!
By Michael L.
Savage, Sr., MCP, CBO Middle Department Inspection Agency, Inc.
Not very long
ago I was involved in a meeting with several contractors working in a
jurisdiction on the
I have
since researched this subject and find I am unable to find any section
referencing “Attitudes” in the 2003 International Residential Code. I
did find in section R101.3, Purpose, which states “to provide minimum
requirements to safeguard the public safety, health and general welfare...”, no
mention of the inspector being required to have an attitude. I also found the
definition of a Building Official in section R202, Definitions, which states
“The officer or other designated authority charged with the administration and
enforcement of this code”, still no mention of attitude, as remains the case
with section R104, Duties and Powers of the Building Official. So where does
this revelation come from? Possibly that office has a local amendment, or a bad
day at the office, maybe the lack of being a people person, or quite possibly
not having the experience, education, testing or training to be a qualified
inspector which causes one to attack everybody else to compensate for their
feeling of inadequacy as an inspector.
Of course I am
having a little fun while writing this article, but I believe this exclamation
raised an important concern - what should the attitude of the inspector be?
Obviously the inspector is seen as a representative of the jurisdiction he or
she works for, and therefore the opinion is cast that this must be the attitude
of the jurisdiction. We have all had the cases where you’ve told an individual
umpteen times they need a permit for renovations or additions and then we see
them commit the same violation again, and still they act unaware, or we have a
contractor who is constantly abusing the system. I am not referring to those
cases that do try our patience. I am referring to cases such as when a builder
is on site and greets you with a smile and says hello, or a homeowner may need
a little more attention than the ordinary inspection, so they ask for help from
the “expert”, only to receive an attitude. These are the times when the public
perception of an AHJ can be won or lost. And no, this doesn’t mean bend over backwards
to be nice or teach them how to build a deck, but a little common courtesy can
go a long way. It may take a few more seconds out of our valuable day, but the
rewards are worth it. For some it is a job, and then for the others (such as
myself) it is a career that we care about.
I can not
think of very many times when I have been unwilling to help an owner or
contractor with either a site visit or a few additional minutes on an
inspection when I have a busy schedule or telephone call. After all we are the
“experts” in the inspection and code enforcement industry, why shouldn’t they
attempt to receive some advice from the “experts”.
I have never; in
all the years I have been involved in code enforcement, told someone “We’re not
supposed to be nice”. The very thought, or worse yet, the act of saying that
shows a lack of understanding of the industry, a complete lack of experience in
the field and an attitude that is not at all suited for a career in code
enforcement. I challenge anyone that says that to re-examine their career
choice. As for me, I am quite happy being an Inspector and have always been
willing to answer a few additional questions or spend a couple of extra minutes
while completing an inspection. I am also happy to say, as of this date, I have
never thought of saying “We’re Not Supposed To Be Nice!!!!”
Administering Organization for the HUD Manufactured Housing Consensus Committee
The US
Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) is currently conducting
market research to gather information on businesses qualified to provide an
Administering Organization for the HUD Manufactured Housing Consensus Committee,
Office of Manufactured Housing Programs. Specifically, they are requesting
information from industry to find companies and organizations that meet the
statutory definition and have experience doing the same work [in nature, scope
and magnitude] as described in the draft Statement of Work (SOW).
The Point of
Contact for this Request for Information is Washingtoni (NLN), email: Washingtoni_Nln@hud.gov,
Telephone:
(202) 708-1772. The website
notice is http://www.hud.gov/offices/cpo/contract/opchr034.cfm
MBOA
Website
Please visit the MBOA website that is up
and running. Thanks to the efforts of Shahriar Amiri.
Please look at www.mdboa.org.
Synthetic or Natural Gypsum Board Meets Standards
From Bernie Allmayer
Al Palu Leton Company
Code officials and building inspectors confronted with an
increasing array of recycled and reclaimed products can take comfort in knowing
that the performance attributes of gypsum board manufactured with a synthetic
or by-product core are the same as those for gypsum board manufactured from
natural ore.
Gypsum board in the
The vast majority of the synthetic gypsum used by the industry is
a by-product of the process used to remove pollutants from the exhaust created
by the burning of fossil fuels for power generation. Were synthetic gypsum not used in the
manufacture of gypsum board, it would be a useless material that would take up
valuable space in landfills, according to Michael Gardner, Executive Director
of the Gypsum Association. “In years
past, plants relied on a mixture of synthetic and natural ore to produce
board,” he says. “However, some modern plants can manufacture gypsum board
almost entirely from synthetic gypsum.”
Recycling isn’t limited to just the gypsum board. Nearly 100 percent of the fiber used in the
production of gypsum board face and back paper comes from newsprint and
post-consumer waste materials.
All gypsum-based products must be properly installed
Regardless of the origins of the gypsum used to manufacture gypsum
board, these products – as well as other wall and ceiling framing components –
must be installed in accordance with manufacturer’s specifications if the wall
and ceiling systems are to perform as intended.
“Gypsum board has an excellent track record of use that extends
back almost 90 years,” says
Natural or synthetic gypsum board meets code requirements
Gypsum board manufactured using either natural ore or synthetic
by-product material complies with standard building code requirements for
noncombustible materials, specifically, the alternate requirements for
noncombustible materials described in Chapter 7 of the International
Building Code. In addition, the light weight of gypsum board –typically
one-fourth to one-third that of other materials – often allows the foundation
or footings of a building or dwelling to be constructed using less massive or
smaller materials.
With many tested non-load-bearing and load-bearing designs already
available, most building assemblies that incorporate gypsum board do not
require special engineering. Additionally, certain gypsum board systems can be
successfully erected even when temperatures fall below freezing; such systems
allow increased productivity over systems that require favorable curing
conditions.
Fire-resistance-rated gypsum board is certified and labeled
Gypsum board used in fire-resistance-rated systems is certified
and labeled in accordance with the requirements of an independent organization
– a claim that can’t be made for all materials.
Over the years, a large body of literature has been developed to
facilitate the application of gypsum board.
In addition, code-recognized standards describing application methods
and materials are readily available, as are comprehensive catalogues of
fire-resistive and sound-attenuating systems.
Gypsum board systems,
including systems designed for fire-resistance, are easily installed and can
generally be repaired or modified without adverse impact on surrounding
building construction. Different gypsum board materials can be used to provide
a variety of flexible design options.
With gypsum board, how these products are installed and maintained
really does make a performance difference. For more information on gypsum
wallboard, log onto to the Gypsum Association web site at www.gypsum.org.
Manufactured/Mobile
Home Program
This HUD program
is undergoing major changes that may affect local jurisdictions. A new Manufactured Home Advisory Council has
been formed to advise HUD on how to proceed.
The National Fire Protection Association has been hired to provide
secretariat services to HUD. NFPA has
formed many committees to deal with issues related to the program and is
looking for individuals to serve in this capacity. If you have the expertise or an interest in
the future of this program, please contact them to assist. In addition, there are many Federal Register
Notices that will be published that will be asking for comments. Please take the time to respond to these
notices, either as an MBOA member, a local jurisdiction comment or a private
citizen. It is vital that your voice be
heard. If HUD does not hear from local jurisdictions, they may assume you don’t
care about your authority. Please review
the NFPA website to get an update on all the activities and notices. Get involved! (Editor’s note: I have not found an easy way into that part
of the NFPA website. Look at www.Google.com
and type in HUD Manufactured Housing
Consensus Committee and then click on the first item that lists the NFPA
website. Or www.nfpa.org/catagorylist.asp?categoryID=858 . If anyone knows a shortcut, please let
me know or the MBOA webmaster)
IBTS
The Institute for Building Technology and Safety (IBTS) was created by NGA, NACO, NLC, CSG and NCSBCS as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization to assist state and local governments by providing all types of technical services including plan review and inspections for governments that have an overload of projects, on a permanent or temporary basis. Please visit their website to learn more about what services they can provide at www.ibts.org/
or call Ashok
Goswami at (703) 481-2001.
ICC
Code Official Institute
The
dates for the Code Official Institute are:
January 23-26
April 24-27
For questions on these sessions, see the ICC website at www.iccsafe.org
DHCD Training
Codes Administration will be conducting training workshops with one-half day for the energy code, for a recent law related to energy efficient appliances, combined with one-half day training session on the Industrialized Building Program. They will be scheduled for March. Please look for upcoming announcements. For more information and registration, please view the Code Lynx website at www.mdcodes.org.
CODE LYNX
The Code Lynx web site is constantly updated and improved. Please be certain the information for your community is correct. Code Lynx provides links to many state and federal agencies so you can keep up-to-date on what is happening in the building regulatory system. Please provide your input. It is easy to reach at www.mdcodes.org
DHCD created the
next edition of the Maryland Building Performance Standards by the adoption of
the 2003 editions of the International Building Code and the International
Residential Code. The effective date was
Building
Code Booklet
There is a publication
titled Introduction to Building Codes and
Guide to Effective and Efficient Code Administration published by
NCSBCS. If you need a good booklet for
explaining the history, basics and benefits of code enforcement for your public
officials or for the general public, this one is for you. Take a look and order from the website at www.ncsbcs.org or
phone (703) 437- 0100. The cost is about
$20.00, much less in quantity.
DHCD CODES EXAM
The
Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development offers a Certified
Inspector’s Exam that covers the
Dues – Bills for membership renewal have been sent to
all members. If you have not paid your
dues, please do so. Dues are only $10.00
per year for code officials, so it is a bargain at that price! For individuals
who wish to become a new member, we welcome you. Please use the attached form.
MBOA Standing Committees
The Maryland Building Officials Association
will create new standing committees for the benefit of all members. MBOA is
looking for individuals who wish to serve on standing committees. If you have an interest, please call the
president and volunteer your time and expertise.
Do You Have News?
If you have news, please write to the MBOA
Newsletter at the above address, call the president,
ICC Certification
MBOA received an affidavit of accreditation
from ICC to provide accredited training for local building officials. MBOA continues its efforts of providing
quality seminars and training, as well as working with ICC to cosponsor
training events. The Board of Directors
is committed to providing the best speakers available and to cover topics vital
to code officials. We need your input
and participation to make it a success.
Rehab Code Training
A series of training sessions on the
Maryland Rehabilitation Code will be offered in the Spring at various locations
around the State. These sessions are
sponsored by Maryland DHCD and co-sponsored by MBOA, the Maryland Home
Improvement Contractors Association, AIA, and the Office of the State Fire
Marshal. Please watch for the
announcements on the DHCD website: www.dhcd.state.md.us/smartcodes
MBOA/ICC Workshops
MBOA has teamed up with ICC to cosponsor
seminars listed below (copied from the ICC website):
|
IC06-230 |
TELEPHONE SEMINAR |
|
||
|
IC06-129 |
|
|
MD |
|
|
IC06-130 |
|
|
MD |
|
|
IC06-131 |
|
|
MD |
|
|
IC06-231 |
TELEPHONE SEMINAR |
|
||
|
IC06-232 |
TELEPHONE SEMINAR |
|
||
|
IC06-132 |
|
|
MD |
|
|
IC06-133 |
|
|
MD |
|
|
IC06-134 |
|
|
MD |
|
|
IC06-233 |
TELEPHONE SEMINAR |
|
||
We hope you will join us as a member of the
MBOA. The fee for membership is $10.00
per year which includes the MBOA newsletter and announcements of annual
activities. Please clip the attached
application form and send it in now!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Application for Membership
Name:___________________________________________________________
Position or
title:______________________________________________
Business
Address:_______________________________________________
E-mail address
_________________________________________________
City:___________________________Zip:__________Phone:____________
Home Address (optional):________________________________________
City:___________________________Zip:__________Phone:______________
Signature:____________________________Date:_______________________
ALL MEMBERSHIPS - $10.00 PER YEAR
Mail Application fee to: Maryland Building
Officials Association
Treasurer,
MBOA