THE CODE CONNECTION

No amount of words can paint the horrifying devastation left by hurricane Katrina. Just witness the non-stop news broadcasts.  I've witnessed first hand and provided disaster assistance to cities hurt by tornadoes and flooding here in Ohio.  It's nothing like the magnitude of destruction we have in the Gulf.  Hopefully, the rescue and recovery will come to an end soon so the Gulf Coast can begin the slow process of rebuilding.

Who will be there to help rebuild? There has been an outpouring of money and aid offered from individuals and organizations to provide the immediate aid that is required.  But it will take a LOT more than that.

We have to realize that the government can only do so much - and it won't be nearly enough.  Anyone who is familiar with FEMA, disaster response training and the interface of local, state and federal government will tell you that planning for an event of this magnitude is nearly impossible.  There will be lots of lessons learned for future generations.

The first thing to realize that most of the money goes to fixing those things that are essentially public improvements.  And, all the private property, homes, businesses, churches, institutions are left to rely on their own insurance.  The tens of thousands of uninsured families and businesses are last in line and may never recover economically.

This puts New Orleans, Gulf Port and hundreds of small cities and towns across the entire region in an almost unsurmountable position.  The lifeblood of a city isn't just the public infrastructure.  It's also the mass of private enterprise, commercial businesses, neighborhoods of homes and supporting institutions that plug into the public infrastructure that makes it work.  It takes both.  And without an economic strategy to rebuild both it could be a quarter century before the region fully comes to life again as we knew it a week ago.

Leaders in the construction industry are bracing for the impact and planning for the long term assistance.  This will be like a real live Sim-City that covers a whole region.  The American Institute of Architects, the International Code Council, a numerous other major construction related non-profit organizations, architects, engineers and contractors of all types are mobilizing to support the effort.  On the government side building officials and inspectors from cities across the county are planning ways to provide the additional support that will go on for months or years.

Godspeed to everyone volunteering - the rescuers and the re-builders. 

Ohio has tried for years to adopt a new fire code based on the International Fire Code.  After two code cycles with the family of International Codes regulating construction the fire code has finally been added to the suite and in the process created a battle over the rules of enforcement.

It wasn't easy.  A few years back the State Fire Marshall made an attempt at adopting an NFPA version which met opposition across the board including local fire departments.  In reaction to this a number of local fire departments began to unilaterally adopt the International Fire Code (Ohio allows this) because of its coordination with the the IBC.  Gradually the State Fire Marshal came around.  This round has also had its detractors from the gasoline industry, architects, and others.  While most of the concerns from the skeptics were addressed many are taking a wait and see attitude.

So what's the rub?  First a little background.  The ICC in its development of the International Fire Code did some interesting things.  Since the IFC is a model code that can be adopted anywhere in the world, it recognizes that some communities may not be as up to date with its building code.  And fire code have traditionally includes topics such as "means of egress".  Hence, the IFC has duplicated several chapters (7-10) verbatim from the International Building Code.  Cool idea because all the traditional conflicts between the IBC and the IFC are now completely coordinated.

Here's the real problem - how to apply the administrative rules of these two codes.  When states adopt these codes they have to decide when the rules apply and who enforces them.  And, as a matter of legal protocol, lawmakers try hard not to duplicate any rules.  Herein lies our problem.  With the IBC and the IFC both outlining major code sections regarding, Fire-resistive Construction, Interior Finishes, Fire Protection Systems and Means of Egress it can cause some real confusion about enforcement.  How do you apply these rules under the Fire Code when they are already in affect under the Building Code?

Traditionally the difference has been the building code is just that - a BUILDING code.  And the fire code is a MAINTENANCE code that takes affect after the Certificate of Occupancy is issued.  The question of "WHEN" is discerned in just this way.  There's not much disagreement about the significance of the CO.  Works great in theory.  However, the practical issues of how a building is built and inspected, the handshake between fire departments and building departments, home rule adoption of local fire codes and occasional turf wars all lead to trouble.

The overlap of these two codes has a limited amount of merit, particularly if you are a fire official.  Some essential life safety items are now codified in a manner that replicates the building code.  But the building official is reviewing plans and making judgements based on the building code that the fire official will later inherit.  That's how turf wars get started and the first casualty is the owner and his contractor.  how many times have you heard the story about a fire official barking orders and threatening to lock the doors right before the building is scheduled to open?  I have friends who make a living fighting these cases in court.

The American Institute of Architects justifiably opposed the adoption of the new fire code in Ohio not because of the technical code provisions of the overlapping rules.  These are all resolved in the model code process.  Its the administrative section, Chapter 1, that is the primary source of debate.  When state rule makers decide that duplicate permits can be required as a condition of construction it can only lead to havoc.  While verbally arguing that they have not crossed the thin line of enforcement marked by the Certificate of Occupancy, the rules clearly have carved a place for fire officials to exercise new authority.  We'll see.

Ohio has been a leader in the promulgation and adoption of the International Codes.  However, the best way to do this is to create a single board to adopt both the fire code and building code.  Today, even though the Fire Marshal and Board of Building Standards are located in the same Dept. of Commerce, they have differing processes for code adoption.  An attempt was made a few years ago to create a unified board but it died on the vine.  It's time to try again as we watch carefully how this new code works.

Note: Terry Welker AIA, your Code Connection Host, currently serves as Secretary of AIA Ohio.

Newspapers are great at headlines and giving a quick overview.  But when it comes to parsing out real information and full details you have to go right to the source.  In this case the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a federal agency, has everything you need to know about the 9/11 tragedy and the impact it may have on future construction and building codes.

Here's the source: http://wtc.nist.grv/

You can get the Draft Summary Report with an executive summary, complete recommendations, and the full report.  You will also find detailed reports of each of the building collapses, life safety evaluation, and analysis of the building and fire safety procedures.

Additionally, the April 5, 2005 news release also has links to downloadable computer simulations of the Boeing 767's crashes into each of the World Trade Center towers.  Go to: http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/releases/wtc_briefing_april0505.htm

Armed with real facts and scientific discipline, states and the major code promulgating organizations like the International Code Council (ICC) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) can move forward toward making the world a safer place.

The National Instute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announces it recommendations for improvements to building codes after a three year analysis of the 9/11 World Trade Center colapse.  This will spur some serious debate amongst architects, engineers, code officials and building developers and will center around the cost/benefit of  any increased code requirements.

The International has already passed increased requirements for fire protection of structural elements in tall buildings but the NIST has a lot more on its plate.  The New York Times has the scoop on this - go to http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/22/nyregion/22towers.html?pagewanted=1  for the full story.  More to come.

Updated on Tuesday, March 22, 2005 at 08:28AM by T. Welker AIA

Updated on Sunday, April 3, 2005 at 12:51PM by T. Welker AIA

After several years of aggravation with alternate codes, California will finally join the rest of the nation in the adoption of the I-Codes. This news release from the ICC: California Building Standards Commission Withdraws 2003 Code Recommendations Decision Clears Way for State Agencies to Proceed with International Building, Fire and Residential Codes Sacramento, CA: The California Building Standards Commission voted 8-2 on Wednesday, March 16, to rescind its code recommendations of July 2003. The Commission's action will allow state agencies to move forward with the adoption of building codes that are the best fit for California, including the International Building Code (IBC), the International Fire Code (IFC) and the International Residential Code (IRC), in updating the State's building codes. The state agencies will bring proposed code amendments back to the Building Standards Commission for approval -- a process that is estimated to take about two years. This approach is consistent with how California has adopted building codes in the past.

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