Silent Auction Looking to
Create Some Noise
Help make a worthwhile cause a great success by donating to the Fourth Annual Silent Auction during the ICC Annual Conference. All proceeds will go to the benefit Habitat for Humanity-Orlando, a not-for-profit organization devoted to transforming the lives of low-income, hard working families through homeownership.

Donors will be listed on posters at the annual conference, on the Foundation website, and in ICC's official Building Safety Journal publication.

A home in New Orleans’ Ninth Ward neighborhood that was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

ICC Members Help Members Recover from Hurricane Devastation
Initiated immediately after Hurricane Katrina, the Foundation's Members Helping Members relief effort was established to assist employees and families of building and fire departments impacted by the storms. To date, this program has distributed over $70,000 to building and fire department individuals that has been used to rebuild homes and purchase basic household items such as blankets, clothing and supplies.
The following fire and building personnel are among the 70 individuals the Members Helping Members Fund is able to help. These individuals suffered substantial losses, and in some cases, everything is gone.

• Martha Harris, with the city of Pascagoula Fire Department in Mississippi, lost her entire home. She will use the money to buy building materials and appliances to rebuild in the future.
• Michael David Bass, Assistant Fire Chief with the City of Long Beach Fire Department in Mississippi, will use the money to repair the roof, ceilings and walls damaged during the hurricane.
• Kimberlyn Prentice from the Ocean Springs Fire Department in Mississippi, who comments, "As part of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Region that was directly hit by Hurricane Katrina, those of us here at the Ocean Springs Fire Department would like to extend our sincere appreciation for the efforts put towards helping those of us who were really effected by this storm. It's the people like the people at the ICC and its contributors that make that rebuilding and recovering possible. So to you, we tip our hats and say, 'Thank you Sir and Thank you Ma'am.'"

The transition to normal life in these devastated areas is long and arduous, but thanks to ICC members that care, that transition is just a little bit easier. For a list of ICC Chapters that contributed to this worthy cause, click here.

About the Foundation
Around the world, thousands of lives are lost and billions of dollars in damage occur in places where people and property are not protected by safe building codes and standards.
The International Code Council (ICC) Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to alleviating the devastating effects of natural disasters and other building tragedies by promoting ideas, methods and technologies that encourage the construction of durable, sustainable buildings and homes.
For more information on the ICC Foundation, click here.

ICC Foundation eNews
June 2006
Volume II, Issue 2

Contact Us
Paul E. Myers
President, ICC Foundation
10624 Indian Woods Drive
Cincinnati, Ohio 45242
E-mail: pmyers@iccsafe.org
Phone: (513) 574-0957
Cell: (513) 276-1033
Fax: (513) 574-2159

2006 BUILDING SAFETY WEEK

Industry Gains National Attention
during Weeklong Activities

	Chief Plans Examiner Mike Foreman hands out Building Safety Week materials to children and adults at the Cinco de Mayo festival in Grand Prairie, Texas.

For one week, building officials and fire departments had the undivided attention of communities across the nation as they spread the word about building safety during the ICC Foundation's Building Safety Week (BSW).
"We've certainly gone beyond the days of just handing out pamphlets," noted ICC Foundation President Paul Myers. "It's extraordinarily gratifying to see building officials, fire departments and even entire communities join together to heighten public awareness of building safety at home, at work and at play during this time."
In many cases, the messages to communities focused on regional issues. For instance, the Chicago Department of Buildings Commissioner, John Knight, kicked off Building Safety Week (BSW) in Chicago by renewing a call for "Chicagoans" to report unsafe buildings and to be mindful of porch, deck and balcony conditions, while other city officials reminded home and building owners about permit requirements and shared concerns about unsafe conversions of single-family homes.
To see how other communities celebrated Building Safety Week, click here.

Building Safety on the Hill

	ICC Board Vice President Wally Bailey (right) speaks with Congressman John Boozman (R-AR) regarding the National Windhazard Impact Reduction Program. Bailey met with members of Congress from his home state of Arkansas.

As part of BSW, the ICC Board of Directors and Government Relations Advisory Committee met with members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to discuss ICC's legislative priorities for the second Congress during Capitol Hill Day. These meetings were made possible through the diligent work of the Government Relations staff in the Falls Church office.
Topics included hurricane reconstruction concerns, support for the Code and Safety for the Americas (CASA) Act, advocation of federal grants for local code enforcement offices, fire sprinkler classifications, as well as appropriations to support the National Windhazard Impact Reduction Program and the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program.
For more information, click here.

Honoring Those that Made a Difference

Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) receives this year's Silent Defender Award from ICCF Chairman James Lee Witt (center) and ICCF President Paul Myers (right).

The second annual Silent Defender Awards once again honored some extraordinary individuals and organizations that have changed our world for the better during Building Safety Week in Washington, D.C. The ICC Foundation Awards committee specifically recognized three individuals and two global organizations for their efforts to alleviate the effects of natural disasters:
For more information about these Silent Defender honorees, click here.

Silent Defender Nominees Wanted
The Foundation's Award Committee is looking for individuals and organizations that have made a difference by improving building safety and fire prevention. If you know an individual or organization that demonstrates high ethical standards and has made important contributions toward advancing the dignity and credibility of the building and fire safety profession, nominate them for the 2007 Silent Defender Award. The Silent Defender Award may be awarded to more than one person or organization and is not limited to those in the building safety or fire prevention profession.

Project H.E.R.O. Launches Nationwide

	"Out of the clear blue sky in answer to a prayer, the ICC Foundation came along and told me what they'd like to do," said Project H.E.R.O. recipient Shelby Bowling. "I'm not going to have to sell my home. Thank you."

The Foundation and its many partners launched Project H.E.R.O. at a special breakfast on May 11 in Washington, D.C., as part of Building Safety Week. Foundation President Paul Myers began the program with a brief description of the Project H.E.R.O. program and its goal to help some of the over 6,000 disabled veterans rebuild or remodel their homes for easier handicap accessibility.
Attendees received a first glimpse via video taken from the first Project H.E.R.O. site currently underway, which was followed by Project H.E.R.O. spokesman Gen. Wesley Clark who introduced the first Project H.E.R.O. recipient, Air Force veteran Shelby Bowling, and his wife Renate. Read more.
To start a Project H.E.R.O. effort in your community, click here.

Sponsor Support Makes All the Difference

LIUNA Pledges Project H.E.R.O. Support Following a rousing speech at the Project H.E.R.O. kick-off breakfast, Terence O'Sullivan, General President of the Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA)-the newest Project H.E.R.O. Partner-pledged $50,000 and the support of its members to help advance Project H.E.R.O., and joined the ICC Foundation Board of Governors. Read more.

The Foundation thanks the following organizations for helping sponsor the Project H.E.R.O. Breakfast and Silent Defender Awards Dinner:
• Maximus Charitable Foundation-Contribution $10,000
• Bingham McCutchen Law Firm-Contribution $5,000
•  Building Owners and Managers Association and National Multi-Housing Council-
Contribution $5,000
• State Farm-Contribution $5,000
Their support helped make both of these worthy events a great success. Click here for details on participating in Project H.E.R.O.

Call for H.E.R.O. Coordinators
The Foundation is looking for volunteers to serve as State Coordinators for the Project H.E.R.O. nationwide program. Coordinators will serve as liaisons between the local sites within their state and the Foundation. Specific coordinator responsibilities include tracking local group activities and sharing project progress with the Foundation. For details, click here.

Kids Learn Building Safety

	Sumac Elementary students are "sworn in" as junior building inspectors.

About 100 second-graders from Sumac Elementary School in Agoura Hills, California, were treated to a fun and interactive BSW presentation by Agoura Hills building official Tony Falcone and building inspector Mike Kalske.
The one-hour program included a show-and-tell with many different building components and accessories associated with building safety such as smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, fire dampers, exit signs, fire sprinklers and even sheetrock. Falcone explained how building inspectors work behind the scenes on a daily basis enforcing minimum building codes protecting the health, life and safety of everyone, and how building inspectors have saved countless thousands of lives through proactive work.
At the end of the presentation, Falcone "deputized" each of the young students as official junior building inspectors, gave them each an inspector's hat and building safety pencil along with business cards in case their parents or guardians had any questions.
"We had as much fun as the kids," said Falcone. "Next year, I think we'll expand to a few more schools. It was a really great way to educate young people about our jobs and teach them about building and fire safety."