“Code and Fire Officials Keep You Safe;” Building Safety Month Observed in Harford County

From Harford County government:

May is Building Safety Month with this year’s theme “Code and Fire Officials Keep You Safe”. Building Safety Month was founded by the International Code Council (ICC) and is celebrated by jurisdictions throughout the world during the month of May.

Each week during the month of May, “Building Safety Month” spotlights a specific area of building safety:

– May 6 – 10 – Fire Safety and Awareness

– May 13-17 – Disaster Safety and Mitigation

– May 20-24 – Deck and Pool Safety

“Building Safety Month” is a public awareness campaign offered each year to help individuals, families and businesses understand what is required to create and sustain safe and sustainable structures. The campaign reinforces the need for adoption of modern, model building codes, a strong and efficient system of code enforcement and a well-trained professional workforce to maintain the system.

During the past 33 years the 50,000 worldwide members of the ICC have celebrated advances in constructing safe, sustainable, affordable and resilient buildings and homes. The “Building Safety Month” campaign helps to improve public safety by increasing awareness about how building codes and code officials improve and protect places where the public lives, works, worships or seeks recreation.

With respect to the “Disaster Safety and Mitigation” component of “Building Safety Month”, the Harford County Department of Emergency Services urges citizens to take the following actions:

– Clearly mark the street address on commercial buildings or homes, as well as on the mailbox. Emergency responders must be able to quickly locate those needing assistance. A properly marked address helps facilitate such action.

– Citizens should register their personal cell phones with the Department of Emergency Services to receive emergency notifications through the Harford County Connect CTY program. To register a business, home or cell phone, visit www.harfordpublicsafety.org or call 410-638-4900.

– Harford County has had a recent history of severe weather incidents, including an earthquake, Duerchio, tornado, hurricane and snow storms among others. Citizens are encouraged to have an emergency home safety kit, to include bottled water and canned food to aid families during times of such emergency situations. For further information on storm preparedness, visit www.harfordpublicsafety.org and review the Surviving the Storm guide
on-line.

Commenting on the importance of “Building Safety Month”, Richard Lynch, Director of the Department of Inspections, Licenses and Permits said, “Code officials work hard to ensure the public’s safety and well-being through building and life safety codes and standards. Building codes address all aspects of construction, from structural to fire prevention, plumbing and mechanical systems, as well as energy efficiency. In every sense, code and fire officials keep you safe”.

Harford County Executive David R. Craig and the Harford County Council have both issued proclamations recognizing “Building Safety Month” in Harford County.