ICC, NFPA Join to Advance Public Safety in the Built Environment

NFPA President Jim Shannon (pictured left) and ICC CEO Rick Weiland (right)

The International Code Council (ICC) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) have announced the formation of the Coalition for Current Safety Codes (CCSC). The coalition will advance public safety in the built environment by advocating states and municipal jurisdictions adopt current building, fire prevention, sustainable, electrical, and life safety codes.

“For more than 100 years, the public and government on all levels have benefited from the life and property saving work of private standards developing organizations (SDOs),” said NFPA President Jim Shannon. “The CCSC is an effort to ensure those same parties are taking full advantage of the latest information in the most up to date codes.”

“ICC and NFPA have a rich history and dedicated members who devote themselves each day to ensuring the development of safe and sustainable communities,” said ICC CEO Rick Weiland. “The efforts of our memberships have dramatically strengthened codes and standards—protecting the public. This coalition is a great way to spread the word about how to protect the environment and the health and welfare of our society.”

ICC and NFPA will seek broad participation in the coalition from other SDOs, the construction and insurance industries, government, and the private sector to raise awareness about the importance of and steps needed to provide up to date buildings where people live, work, play and go to school. The two associations are coming together to co-chair the coalition because of a mutual commitment to public safety and in an effort to create even broader support for the adoption of modern codes and standards.

Codes and standards are updated on regular cycles to benefit from new science, lessons learned from disasters, and new technologies and products. Both associations are among a number of SDOs that provide support to government by engaging in public/private sector collaboration to develop codes that support health, safety and the environment. As a result, government does not take on the high cost of developing its own codes and benefits from code uniformity that enables safe and affordable construction growth.