News Releases

April 28, 2008 - Building Safety Where you Live, Work and Play

When you enter a house or building, most likely you’re not thinking about whether it is properly constructed and safe. Fortunately, your local safety experts think about building safety and fire prevention every day. To help raise awareness of building safety the City of Bloomfield Hills is celebrating Building Safety Week from May 5 through 11. Across the nation, communities will promote the use and understanding of building safety and fire prevention codes to protect lives and property. The theme is "Building Safety: Where You Live, Work and Play."

Proclamations observing Building Safety Week were signed by Governor Jennifer Granholm and Bloomfield Hills Mayor Patricia Hardy. First observed in 1980, it is sponsored nationally by the International Code Council, a membership organization dedicated to building safety and fire prevention, of which the City of Bloomfield Hills is an active member. The International Code Council develops the codes used to construct residential and commercial buildings, including homes and schools. Most U.S. cities, counties, and states choose the International Codes—building safety codes developed by the International Code Council.

"The important work we do is often overlooked until a catastrophic tragedy occurs," said Larry Rospierski, City Building Official. "When building safety and fire prevention experts inspect buildings during and after construction, we help to ensure that the places where you live, learn, work, and play are safe."

Building safety and fire prevention codes address all aspects of construction, such as structural soundness of buildings, reliability of fire prevention and suppression systems, plumbing and mechanical systems, and energy efficiency and sustainability. To ensure buildings are safe requires the active participation of building safety and fire prevention officials, architects, builders, engineers, and others in the construction industry, as well as property owners.

In conjunction with Building Safety Week, the City of Bloomfield Hills has developed SPARE (Structural Plans to Assist in Residential Emergencies). SPARE is an internet-based system that is designed to improve safety response time during fire, medical and security emergencies. It places simplified versions of residential and commercial buildings on the computer screens in full view of the dispatcher and first responders on the scene. By seeing the "critical" areas of a building’s layout highlighted in red, public safety officers will know its "hot spots" before entering and reduce their personal injuries as well. While some communities make available their building plans to first responders, it is believed that the City is one of the first to offer this special SPARE version of the floor-plan layout on line.

"Public safety is our number one concern, and SPARE adds just another layer of protection for our residents," said Rospierski, author of the program. "During Building Safety Week and all year long, building safety and fire prevention officials are here to help protect you and your community."