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The International Code Council (ICC) releases three new fire prevention titles: 2021 IWUIC Code and Commentary, Significant Changes to the International Fire Code, 2021 Edition, and the 2019 California Fire Code Amendments Handbook.
According to ICC, this is critical as the Congressional Research Service, citing Wildland Fire Summary and Statistics from the National Interagency Coordination Center (updated May 2021), reports since 1960 the three largest wildfires in total acreage burned have occurred in the last five years.
The report also notes people are increasingly finding themselves within or moving to wildland urban interface (WUI) zones. The WUI is defined by the U.S. Fire Administration as areas where human-made structures and infrastructure are in or adjacent to areas prone to wildfires.
ICC’s new publications address a critical component of wildfire and fire safety and prevention:
● 2021 IWUIC Code and Commentary provides a reference for regulations in the 2021 International Wildland-Urban Interface Code (IWUIC) focusing on using ignition-resistant building materials including specially designed vents to prevent embers from penetrating into eaves and under foundations, creating and maintaining defensible space, and fire service access to structures and water supplies;
● Significant Changes to the International Fire Code, 2021 Edition is a comprehensive analysis of the changes in the new edition of the International Fire Code (IFC), offering key insights into the implications of these changes; and
● 2019 California Fire Code Amendments Handbook is a new resource that was developed, in partnership with the California Fire Prevention Officers and the California Fire Chiefs Association, to help users understand the purpose and intent of the California amendments to the state-adopted fire code, including an extensive, legislative history of the California Office of the State Fire Marshal, and to provide a greater degree of standardization in code application throughout the Golden State.
“The troubling trend of more frequent and destructive wildfires, coupled with moderate to extreme drought in several states, has put a spotlight on the need for innovative and comprehensive building codes and standards that address wildfire prevention and building safety,” said Dominic Sims, CBO, ICC CEO.
“It is important the building safety community continues to seek ways to improve our codes and standards, while imploring local and state governments to adopt these advanced codes to keep their communities protected,” Sims said.
