State Fire Marshal’s Office Promotes Building Safety Month

NASHVILLE – As Tennessee’s economy continues growing, new building construction is taking place at a rapid rate. To help raise awareness of building safety, the State Fire Marshal’s Office proudly celebrates Building Safety Month during May.

Building Safety Month is a public safety awareness campaign to help individuals, families and businesses understand what it takes to create safe, resilient, affordable and energy-efficient homes and buildings.  

“When our building safety and fire prevention experts inspect buildings and review construction plans to ensure code compliance they help to ensure the places where you live, learn, work, worship and play are safe,” said State Fire Marshal and Commerce & Insurance Commissioner Julie Mix McPeak. “They work closely with homebuilders, contractors, plumbers, roofers and other construction industry trades to provide maximum public safety.”

Homes and buildings that are built in compliance with building safety codes result in resilient structures that minimize the risks of death, injury and property damage. Regardless of the department where code officials may work — building, fire, planning or elsewhere — they work hard every day to provide public safety by ensuring buildings are constructed safely. Because resilient structures minimize the risk of property damage, property owners may pay lower insurance costs and millions of taxpayer dollars can be saved when rebuilding from natural disasters. 

When you enter a house or other type of building, you assume it is safely and properly constructed, and that it complies with state and local building codes. Building codes address all aspects of construction, from structural integrity to fire prevention, plumbing and mechanical systems, and energy efficiency. Maintaining building safety requires the active participation of code officials, fire inspectors, architects, builders, engineers, contractors and others in the construction industry – as well as property owners.

“Public safety will always be our No. 1 concern,” said McPeak. “During Building Safety Month and all year long, we want to ensure that Tennesseans are taking every step possible to protect their families, communities and properties from fire loss.” 

One of the best ways to keep homes and buildings safe from fire is the use of fire sprinkler systems. Fire sprinkler systems react quickly in a fire, dramatically reducing a fire’s heat, flames, and smoke. Fire sprinklers can control and may even extinguish a fire in less time than it would take a fire department to arrive on the scene. 

For more information on home fire sprinklers, visit the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition’s website: www.homefiresprinkler.org.

For more information on Building Safety Month, visit the International Code Council’s website: http://www.iccsafe.org/.

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