Building Safety Month
May 2011

With the assistance of a $1500 grant from the SN-ICC, Henderson Parks and Recreation will host a free event designed to ensure parents know how to protect children in and around the water. Water Safety Day takes place from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 7, at Black Mountain Aquatic Complex, 599 Greenway Rd.

Register online at cityofhenderson.com/parks (activity code 136000-00) or in person at any Henderson recreation center or year-round pool.

On May 12, SN-ICC will present Bubble Swim School with a $625 check to support Bubble's free water safety classes.  The $625 donation comes from money donated to SN-ICC by chapter members and others at EduCode International in January.
 

May 16 - 22, 2011: IGCC & ISPC Code Development Hearings, Dallas, TX.

April 29 - May 6, 2012: Code Development Hearings (Group A), Dallas, TX.

April 21 - 28, 2013:  Code Development Hearings (Group B), Dallas, TX.

2012/2013 ICC Code Development Schedule.

Jordan Krahenbuhl

SN-ICC's May 12 chapter meeting will feature an overview of the 2009 Southern Nevada plumbing and mechanical code amendments.  The presentation will be provided by Jordan Krahenbuhl, a plans examiner specialist with Clark County Development Services.  Krahenbuhl has more than twenty years of experience in the plans examination field and has served on national plumbing and mechanical code committees, including a committee that worked for two years to write the "2010 Green Plumbing and Mechanical Code Supplement," published by the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials in February 2010. 

SN-ICC meetings start at 11:30 a.m. and generally end at 1 p.m.  Meetings are held at Sierra Gold, 6515 S. Jones Blvd. (215 & Jones), Las Vegas, 89118, on the second floor.

Lunch is free for SN-ICC members and $20 for non-members.  Click here to become a member.

Upcoming Meeting Information:

• June 9:  Randy Hunter with Cooper Bussmann will give a one-hour overview on Selective Coordination of Emergency Systems.  This presentation will cover what it is, what the code requirements are, where it should be applied, and how it's enforced.  Types of selectively coordinated systems will be briefly described, as well as why it's important, especially related to the unique properties encountered in the Las Vegas Valley.  SN-ICC will provide 0.1 CEUs to attendees.
   
• July 14:  Stephen DiGiovanni, P.E., from the Clark County Fire Department, will give a half-hour overview of the Southern Nevada Consensus Amendments to the 2009 International Fire Code.  This presentation will be tailored to amendments that individuals primarily involved in building codes will be interested in. (See "2 CEU Opportunities Provided by SN-ICC" below for information on a June 28 CEU opportunity involving Southern Nevada Fire Code Amendments.)

1. Overview of So. NV Consensus Amendments to the IBC

In order to provide the construction community a better understanding of the Southern Nevada Consensus Amendments to the 2009 IBC, SN-ICC will be providing a 2-hour overview of amendments that the General and Fire-Life Safety Committees were responsible for.  

Our speakers will be James Gerren, from the Clark County Building Division, and Stephen Cullen, from the city of Henderson Department of Building & Fire Safety. As chairs for the General and Fire-Life Safety Committees (respectively) these individuals participated throughout the amendment process and have an understanding of the reasons behind these respective amendments.

• Date:  Tuesday, June 14
• Time:  7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. 
• Place:  Clark County Building's Presentation Room, 4701 W. Russell Road, Las Vegas, 89118
• Cost:  Free for SN-ICC members / $25 for non-members
• CEUs:  0.2
• Registration: To ensure your seat, please RSVP to Stephanie Beckman at snicc.org@gmail.com

Additional information will be posted on our website and sent via e-mail in the near future

2. Fire Code Amendment Review

Las Vegas Valley fire code officials collaborated over several months to produce consensus amendments to the 2009 International Fire Code. In addition to the consensus amendments, each jurisdiction developed further modifications to their individual fire codes.

On June 28, SN-ICC will offer two identical training sessions, each 1/2 day in length, to highlight the amendments anticipated to have the most impact.  Each jurisdiction (Clark County, Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Henderson) will also discuss their local amendments.  Printed and bound copies of the consensus code amendments published by the SN-ICC will be available for $20 per copy.

• Date:  Tuesday, June 28 
• Time:  8 a.m. - 11 a.m. OR 1 p.m. - 4 p.m.
• Place:  Clark County Building's Presentation Room, 4701 W. Russell Road, Las Vegas, 89118
• Cost:  Free for SN-ICC members / $25 for non-members
• CEUs:  0.3
• Registration:  To ensure your seat, please RSVP to Stephanie Beckman at snicc.org@gmail.com

Click here to download a PDF flier about the fire code amendment training.

By Dennis Daniels, Building Inspection Specialist
Clark County Development Services Department
dpd@ClarkCountyNV.gov

Dennis Daniels

In the early 1990s, I was asked by Ron Lynn, who was assistant director of Clark County Development Services at the time (Ron is the current director of Development Services and the building official for Clark County), to serve on IAPMO's Grease Interceptor Committee as a Clark County Building Department representative. The intent was to serve as a member for only one meeting.  However, that service got my name known to those in charge of the selection of members for other standing committees.

Later, I was asked to serve on the original ICBO Plumbing Inspector Testing and Development Committee and was chosen to chair the committee. When the three legacy code bodies joined together to form ICC, I was appointed to chair the Plumbing Inspector Testing and Development Committee under ICC liaison Dave Nelson. Dave was a transplant from ICBO.

I was also selected to attend the initial ICC plumbing code development hearings in Reno, again representing Clark County. At that first meeting, the code panel was heavily biased in favor of the old SBCCI and BOCA members. I introduced 120 code changes to the panel and was awarded with getting just one change into the newly developing code. However, being at the podium 120 times pounded home the fact that I wasn't prepared to give up.

The deadline for applying to participate on an ICC committee is June 1.  Find out more at http://www.iccsafe.org/cc/Pages/2011Call.aspx.

After the initial code meetings, I was asked to serve on several different ICC code panels and committees, many of which I served as vice chair or chair. I was very honored when appointed to serve as chair of the newly formed ICC Mechanical/Plumbing Code Council.

Serving on the different committees and code panels provided me a better understanding of the plumbing and mechanical trades in general. Networking with tradesmen and industry professionals from all over the country provided me greater view points on how different plumbing and mechanical systems worked and functioned in different climates of our country.

Committee work is very demanding and time consuming in preparing yourself to participate in the issues being debated. Where you work an eight-hour day at your regular day job, committee work and panel discussions may last 12-14 hours each day, then followed with homework assignments taken back to your room at night for another 2-3 hours. This doesn't include all the hours of prep work you did at night at home before you ever left for the meetings.

Committee work is something I will always look back on as a lifetime learning experience, with permanent friendships formed along with the camaraderie of the membership, and will always be cherished.

Opening up a code book and seeing a phrase, table or section that you helped formulate will always be a source of personal pride and fulfillment. Don't let yourself stay on the sidelines; get into the game and participate on an ICC committee!

By Terri Vosler, Senior Inspector
Bureau Veritas North America, Inc.
terry.vosler@us.bureauveritas.com

SN-ICC Member Terry Vosler.

In October 2010 construction began on the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System (ISEGS) in California's Mojave Desert.  Once completed it will be the world's largest solar generating facility.

The Ivanpah Solar Energy Generating System will nearly double the amount of commercial solar thermal electricity produced in the US today. The plant's eco-friendly design will generate approximately 400 megawatts. This is enough electricity to power more than 140,000 homes and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 400,000 tons per year, which is the equivalent of removing 70,000 cars off the road annually.  In addition, it will also cut major air pollutants by 85% compared to new natural gas-fired power plants.

Rendering of heliostats at Ivanpah.

The system will consist of three power plants. The complex will employ a closed-loop dry-cooling technology, reducing water use by 90 percent. "The completion of this project will be monumental in the energy production industry," stated Pedro Guimaraes, CEO of Bureau Veritas North America, Inc.

The Power and Utilities Division of Bureau Veritas North America, Inc was appointed to act as Delegate Chief Building Official for the Ivanpah Solar Power Complex project in providing all the building inspection and code compliance services for this important project. In addition, Bureau Veritas was selected by the Department of Interior - Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to provide environmental compliance and monitoring for the project to ensure that the project adheres to environmental requirements during the construction phase of the Ivanpah Complex.

"We are excited to work on a project that will help meet the energy needs of California, while utilizing a modern, environmentally friendly energy source to preserve California's beauty and quality of life." said Kevin Wedman, Vice President of Power and Utilities, Bureau Veritas.

Kish Singh

Kish Singh 

Kish began his career at the Nevada Test Site. Working around the world with various engineers in the civil, geotechnical, material testing and surveying fields gave Kish his foundation of knowledge.

Kish has been in the engineering field for more than 30 years.  As managing partner of AMTI Sunbelt, his main focus is quality management and client relations. He started AMTI Sunbelt with his partners 12 years ago. Amti Sunbelt has offices in Nevada and Arizona and is very diverse, ranging from public works quality control to design for industrial projects. The company is also expanding into other markets within the U.S. The team members for Amti Sunbelt have known each other for decades and enjoy working with each other and solving project issues. 

Kish is actively involved with various local and international code committies (ICC and IAS) as well as charitable events.  Kish has been a resident of Las Vegas since 1978, when he came to Las Vegas to visit his mother and has made Las Vegas his home ever since. Kish has 4 children and 2 grandchildren with another grandchild on the way. He loves spending time with his family and friends. One of his favorite sayings is:  "If you don't like that opinion, wait 20 minutes; I will have another you won't like either." Kish likes to joke even when things get rough.