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Allen: Florence remains a big backer of Building Safety Month

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May 2021 marks the 41st year that communities around the world will celebrate Building Safety Month. With the increased frequency and severity of devastating storms, each year the importance of building safety has become a personal topic – especially for those still recovering from recent disasters.

While the destruction has uprooted many, building codes continue to protect and save lives. Building codes incorporate the latest technology and provide the safest, most resilient structures for our families and communities. The International Codes, development by the International Code Council and adopted by our community, are the most widely used and adopted set of building safety codes in the U.S. and around the world.

Building Safety Month was first observed in 1980. The campaign raises awareness about critical building safety issues from structural to fire prevention, plumbing and mechanical systems, and energy efficiency.

This year’s Building Safety Month campaign theme is “Safer Buildings, Safer Communities, Safer World.”  Each week of the month highlights an essential area of building safety, including Energy and Innovation, May 1-9; Training the next generation, May 10-16; Water Safety, May 17-23; and Disaster Preparedness, May 24-31.

The town of Florence, a member of the Code Council, is a longtime Building Safety Month supporter and participant.

Code officials, plan reviewers, fire inspectors, architects, builders, engineers, design professionals, contractors and staffers in the town of Florence are among the 64,000 members of the International Code Council that created Building Safety Month. All of us work together to provide the first line of defense against building disasters and to ensure the safety of the buildings where we all live, work and play.

Educational materials are available for schools and the community at large, including brochures about flood cleanup, mold prevention, green building and preparing for natural disasters. Everyone is encouraged to participate and learn about the essential safety work of the Town of Florence.

James Allen
Florence

James Allen is a town of Florence building official.