ICC Members: The individuals behind codes and safety — Carl Chretien

Code professionals ensure building safety today, for a stronger tomorrow. As the individuals behind modern codes and standards, these professionals are responsible for ensuring the safety and compliance of codes and standards, shaping the safety of the world around us, and serve as the safety foundation for our buildings. They don’t just ensure that buildings are constructed to withstand the stress of everyday use, they are behind the security and stability of every building. They specialize in preventative measures to help communities weather unforeseen natural disasters and ensure that first responders have less to worry about and can do their jobs safely. Code professionals are an essential piece in the building and construction puzzle and are engaged in the building process from the initial building plan to the finished product.

The International Code Council is a member-focused association with over 64,000 members dedicated to developing model codes and standards used in the design, build and compliance process to construct safe, sustainable, affordable and resilient structures. They protect the public through their commitment to building safety; enforce code compliance to empower and educate stakeholders across the built environment to embrace and integrate safety standards in their work; support economic development by making our buildings sturdier, and therefore longer lasting. Their knowledge, skills, and abilities impact every building, in every community.

The Code Council recognizes the importance of continuing to grow awareness of the important work that code professionals do and the impact they have, in the hopes of encouraging aspiring building safety professionals to join in on the building safety movement. In this exclusive feature for the Building Safety Journal, we asked Carl Chretien to share his experience in the industry, highlights of his professional career, and any insights or advice he has concerning the industry and the future of building safety.

Carl Chretien, Sr.
President
Chretien Construction Inc.
Saco, Maine, United States
International Code Council member for 20 years
MBOIA Chapter

BSJ: What was the path to your career — how and why did you pursue a profession in building safety?
Chretien: Having been in the construction field since 1984 and with the introduction of a statewide model building code that later ended up being required statewide. I decided to get training alongside building officials to understand what they were being instructed and how that translated into how they were interpreting it. It was at that point I became a certified third-party inspector. From there I was asked to apply for a parting seasonal position that ended up going for close a year because I filled in temporary full-time for someone on sick leave. Towards the end, I was reviewing clerk of the work reports for their high school addition and also doing consulting. After that, I was working with code officials on code interpretation. Before that and even now I have served on five ICC CAC hearings on the PMGCAC. This experience has allowed me to building-industry people understand how codes are developed.

BSJ: What three things do you need to be successful in this industry and in your profession?
Chretien: An understanding of how codes are developed, where to find the supporting information and how to interpret them. Engage the users of the code in an administrative role as opposed to an enforcement role and to help them to find the location of the information they need. Being able to work with people in solving problems that may not be in the codebooks.

BSJ: What role have mentors, advisors or your network played in your career?
Chretien: Working with code committee members has given me confidence in administering the code and getting a different perspective of how the administration side of codes works as opposed to the end-user side. I have learned we all have the same challenges and need to understand them to be able to move forward in order to reach the same goals and consistency within each individual communities and state. Have an understanding that the code is developed with the idea in mind it may need amending to meet or specific needs.

BSJ: What led you to become an ICC member?
Chretien: Initially was to get discounted codebooks. It evolved into getting more involved in the code development process first my having access to the code proposal and errata and then being able to vote at the code hearings and once tied to a governmental unit then being able to vote at the final action hearings.

BSJ: Are you involved in any ICC committees or councils? Do you have any ICC certifications?
Chretien: I have served twice on the IRC Plumbing and Mechanical committee. The IGCC general committee once, the PMGCAC for one term. IMC committee. I have some involvement with our local chapter and am looking into getting some certifications now that they are available online. I did receive certifications on doing both structural and non-structural plan review when I first became a member. I will be looking into getting more shortly as our state only does basic training.

BSJ: How long have you been in the industry?
Chretien: 36 years.

BSJ: What major changes have you seen?
Chretien: Span length of floor joists and rafters reduced. There is more use of engineered lumber because of the dimensioning amount of high-quality old-growth lumber. There is more attention to flashing details, air barriers and water barriers now. The codes have added more energy efficiency items to building requirements and we are now looking to building more resilient and sustainable buildings to increase in the long run the health and safety of occupants of these buildings. There is more attention to fire safety with the increased requirements of smoke and carbon dioxide detectors, fire blocking increased focus towards means of egress in new and older buildings while at the same time watching the affordability factor to maximize the number of homeowners getting into more modern efficient homes and public buildings. There are now more jurisdictions adopting the building codes than ever with more statewide codes.

BSJ: What excites you about the future of your industry?
Chretien: The fact there are more jurisdictions adopting the codes which translate into more consistent enforcement and building quality. There are now more innovative products to suit individual needs as well making it easier to tailor the needs of each building and still allow it to meet code requirements.

BSJ: What is one piece of advice that you would give to those starting out in the industry?
Chretien: Shadow someone who been in the industry and doing fieldwork to better understand the process. Get involved in your local chapter as today many have to list services that will allow you to ask questions and get input from various persons. Get as much training as you can and use some of the webinars that have been recorded to allow yourself to access them at your pace. Log in to ICC and check out their chat groups because someone most likely will have already asked the question you may be looking for the answer to.

BSJ: What do you see as most surprising about the work that you do?
Chretien: What surprises me the most is someone who has been in the building industry for “x” number of years and says he or she has never heard of a requirement to do a certain thing and you show them a legacy code where it has been required for longer than they have been building or they expect an inspector to point out every single thing they did wrong. Then when you explain to them that they should be experts in the code as it is their livelihood.

BSJ: What would you like to do next in your professional/personal life?
Chretien: Be more involved in the code development process. Development of different training methods to get more people involved in keeping up with their training as the way we build today changes rapidly.

BSJ: What do you enjoy doing in your leisure time?
Chretien: Spending time in the northern part of Maine snowmobiling, ATVing, fishing and hunting. Reading code proposals and learning about different building methods as well as keeping track of different types of building data.

If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title would be?
Chretien: Where Does He Find Time to Keep Up on All This Code Stuff.

There’s a world of opportunity in being a member of the International Code Council. Membership provides the tools to get the most out of each workday: from discounts on essential International Codes and other publications to the best prices on top-quality training and ICC certification renewals, Code Council membership helps budgets go further. Exclusive member benefits include code advice from expert technical staff as well as access to member-exclusive news and articles at the Building Safety Journal news portal. Plus, only Code Council members vote in the ICC code development process. An online Career Center allows job postings and searches for new job opportunities — all at no additional charge.

The Code Council offers numerous councils, committees, and resources to help code professionals grow and network with colleagues. Six discipline-specific Membership Councils offer members a place to come together and be a more powerful force in shaping your association, your industry, your career, and your future. Code Development Committees are an instrumental part of the ICC code development process and are responsible for the review and evaluation of code change proposals submitted to the International Codes. Professional Development Committees serve to better align the ICC education programs and certification programs to ensure that quality training is available to meet the needs of all members, customers and certification holders. Finally, the Value of the Code Official toolkit helps members to heighten awareness of the importance of code officials to their communities and to highlight the code official’s role as a helpful advocate for community safety, health and welfare, and economic development.

To learn more about ICC membership, click here, or contact ICC Member Services by email or 888-ICC-SAFE (888-422-7233) ext. 33804.