Citrus Heights Chief Building Official Greg Anderson and Development Services Technician Susan McLendon stand next to a Building Safety Month display at City Hall. // Thomas J. Sullivan
By Thomas J. Sullivan– The City of Citrus Heights is recognizing Building Safety Month throughout the month of May, as part of an international campaign to raise awareness about building safety.
A proclamation was issued by the City Council on April 25, officially proclaiming May as Building Safety Month. An educational display has also been set up inside City Hall.
According to the International Code Council, Building Safety Month reinforces the need for the adoption of regularly updated building codes and helps residents and businesses understand what it takes to create safe and sustainable structures.
Citrus Heights Chief Building Official Greg Anderson and Development Services Technician Susan McLendon are encouraging residents to stop by the lobby at City Hall to see a colorful display highlighting building code awareness, disaster preparedness and fire safety.
A barbecue event will close out the month on May 29, but an RSVP is required ahead of time. Those interested in more information are invited to call the Building Department General Information Line at (916) 727-4760.
Holding a Citrus Heights city council proclamation in recognition of Building Safety Month, Susan McLendon and Greg Anderson from the building department stand with Mayor Mel Turner (right). Photo courtesy of City of Citrus Heights.
The Citrus Heights building department hosted a Thursday kick-off event in order to raise awareness to Building Safety Month, an international effort which seeks to improve building safety through education during the month of May.
In addition to the city council passing a Building Safety Month proclamation, city officials were at work educating about building safety even before the month-long event began.
An April monthly meeting of the Citrus Heights Neighborhood Area 6 featured a visit from Chief Building Official Greg Anderson who discussed the purpose of Building Safety Month, and explained the “why’s” of building codes.
Although often thought of by homeowners as a nuisance to deal with, Anderson emphasized that his department’s codes have an underlying motivation of “safety first and foremost.”
Highlighting several examples, he offered a reason behind a code requiring buildings to be built no closer than five feet of a property line — explaining how fires can travel more easily from structure to structure when buildings are closer together.
Anderson also explained that Building Safety Month is divided into four separate weeks, with a focus on different aspects of building codes each week.
According to the International Code Council’s website, week one will focus on fire safety, followed by week two on disaster preparedness. The following week will focus on backyard safety, and the final week will close out the month with a slight shift away from building safety by focusing on energy efficiency.
Citrus Heights will also be hosting a few of its own building safety events throughout the month — and such efforts in the past helped Development Services Technician Susan McLendon earn the ICC’s 2013 “Raising the Profile” award.
The community is invited to kick off the start of week one at city hall with chips and salsa at 3 p.m. on May 5. There will also be a barbeque event to close out the month on May 29, but RSVP is required ahead of time.
Those interested in more information are invited to visit the Building Safety Month display inside Citrus Heights city hall, or call the Building Department General Information Line at (916) 727-4760.
