The Code Council Travels to Singapore
On Nov. 13–17, Jay Elbettar, International Code Council (ICC) board of director’s president, traveled to Singapore to attend the Inter-jurisdictional Regulatory Collaboration Committee (IRCC) meeting. At the meeting, Elbettar presented an overview of the emerging issues that affect ICC and its affiliates. The presentation included information about natural disasters, building cladding, code official and fire safety initiatives, global projects, the Ad Hoc Committee on Tall Wood Buildings and the Code Council’s subsidiaries.
Leaders of building regulatory authorities from Australia, Austria, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Scotland, Singapore and Sweden attended the meeting. Each country presented a current status report regarding codes and standards in their jurisdictions. Technical discussions addressed topics such as balcony safety and the radiation hazards of granite countertops.
Some Code Council participants also attended the 2017 Fire Safety Asia Conference where discussion topics ranged from “Framework for Facilitating Next-Generation Performance-Based Building Regulations” to “Using Horizontal Sliding Door as a Means of Egress.”
President Elbettar and ICC Government Relations Vice President of Fire Service Activities Rob Neale toured multiple sites, including the Singapore Building Construction Academy (BCA) and the Nanyang Technical University. The BCA is a federal school for individuals with varying professional backgrounds that teaches how to wire a building, operate a sky crane and much more.
Neale attended informative presentations that focused on the Formosa Fun Coast explosion, fire strategies for the elderly and sprinkler protection in high challenge, high-rack storage.
“The purpose of the trip was to identify building and fire protection issues in the U.S. and how they are similar to the rest of the developed world,” said Neale. “We were able to connect with experts from across the globe and discuss common challenges that we all face in regard to building and fire safety.”
About the Author
Juanita Henry is the communications assistant at the International Code Council. She provides support to the Communications Department, including assistance in social media, media research, website content and updates, press releases, and maintenance and development of media and periodicals distribution lists.
