The nonprofit Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH) released Building Codes: The Foundation for Resilience, its commentary prepared for the BuildStrong 2nd Annual National Thought Leaders Forum: Building Codes for a Stronger and Safer America. The Forum on Capitol Hill coincided with the annual observance of International Code Council’s Building Safety Month celebration each May. The commentary examines the American building code system, how a new tornado design philosophy is making it possible to build homes to withstand most tornadoes, and recommendations to strengthen the overall delivery of model building codes, standards and effective enforcement.
“As we join our nation’s leaders to sound the call for resilient communities, we are at a pivotal moment in our history with respect to our system of building codes, standards and practices,” said FLASH President and CEO Leslie Chapman-Henderson. “Where the system is weak, it is invisible to the public until disaster strikes. We are certain that when we reach a higher level of building performance, we will not only enhance life safety, but we will begin to mitigate the devastating economic losses that have become all too common when disasters strike.”
Building Safety Month is a public awareness campaign offered each year to help individuals, families and businesses understand what it takes to create and sustain safe and sustainable structures. The campaign reinforces the need for adoption of modern, model building codes, a strong and efficient system of code enforcement and a well-trained, professional workforce to maintain the system.