Building safety group presents awards

The International Code Council honored individuals and groups during its Annual Conference for their contributions to building safety, fire prevention, safe construction and code enforcement.

George Walker, Sr., Retired Building Official for the city of Waco, Texas, received the Bobby J. Fowler Award. The award, the highest honor given by the International Code Council, is in memory of the late Bobby Fowler, who is credited with being the founding father of the International Code Council. Walker was honored for his leadership as President of Southern Building Code Congress International, a Code Council legacy organization, when it joined with two other code development organizations to form the International Code Council and the family of International Codes.

Jerry Mallory, Building Official for Johnson County, Kan., received the Code Official of the Year Award for his work to further the cause of building safety. A Certified Building Official, Mallory led the way in damage assessment and rebuilding in Greensburg, Kan., after the town was destroyed by a tornado.

Thomas Brace, Executive Director of the Minnesota State Fire Chiefs Association and former State Fire Marshal in Minnesota and Washington, received the International Code Council Fire Service Award. Brace was the longest serving State Fire Marshal in the United States when he retired in 2003 and just the second state fire marshal in the nation to serve two states. Brace’s initiatives helped provide Minnesota citizens with laws that increase the level of fire protection in homes and businesses statewide.

A Community Service Award, recognizing service to promote public safety, health and welfare, was presented to Scott McDonald, Building Official for Amarillo, Texas,and former Building Official in Washtenaw County, Mich. McDonald was honored for his efforts to educate and inspire code officials, contractors, designers and homeowners.

A second Community Service Award was presented to Donald Plass, Administrative Director of Code Enforcement for Hoffman Estates, Ill. Plass was honored for his efforts to promote public safety, health and welfare to ensure a safer built environment.

David Eisenberg, Executive Director of the Development Center for Appropriate Technology (DCAT), received the International Code Council Affiliate of the Year Award for his support of sustainable construction and development. For more than 25 years, Eisenberg has led the effort to create a sustainable context for building codes. His work in green building education and code development for alternative building materials helped make sustainability a common concept throughout the building code profession.

The Building Officials Association of Florida (BOAF) was named the International Code Council Chapter of the Year. BOAF was honored for its efforts to increase public awareness of building codes and building safety. The chapter is a member of the “Building a Safer Florida” coalition, a statewide organization of building officials, architects, engineers, contractors and others that promote compliance with the state’s building codes.

Three merit awards were presented to chapters of the International Code Council: Heart of America Chapter, Virginia Building and Code Officials Association and Washington Association of Building Officials.

The International Code Council, a membership organization dedicated to building safety and fire prevention, develops the codes used to construct residential and commercial buildings, including homes and schools. Most U.S. cities, counties and states that adopt codes choose the International Codes developed by the International Code Council.