On Thursday, April 9, the International Code Council (ICC) will launch the first of its new four-part webinar series to support building safety professionals coping with the challenges brought on by COVID-19. The free webinars will share examples of ways building and fire departments can continue to operate during the pandemic and will feature solutions from code officials from a variety of jurisdictions around the United States. Webinar participants will earn continuing education units (CEU) while learning virtual methods and tools that can be used to streamline and improve processes in the future during normal operations.

The ICC is also releasing a series of documents to help building safety professionals navigate the pandemic. These documents outline important considerations and a set of potential solutions for code departments related to permitting, plan review, inspections and the codes.

These resources follow from a recent ICC survey that found that although 93 percent of surveyed code professionals continue to work during the crisis, many do not have the capacity to perform essential duties in a virtual work environment.

“The Code Council is committed to ensuring that building safety professionals around the world are supported during these challenging times,” said Code Council Chief Executive Officer Dominic Sims, CBO. “We offer the resources to assist building and fire departments in the transition to virtual operations, helping these essential professionals elevate and streamline building safety services within the digital landscape in the time of social distancing and into the future.”

For more on the following webinar series and to register, visit the ICC website:

• April 9: Moving Permitting and Plan Review Online
• April 13: Options for Virtual and Remote Inspections 
• April 17: Online Access to Codes and Standards
• April 21: Certifications and Training Update

The following documents in the “Maintaining Building Safety During the COVID-19 Pandemic” series can be downloaded on the ICC website:

• Considerations for Moving Permitting and Plan Review Online
• Considerations for Virtual and Remote Inspections
• How the International Codes Facilitate Our Response