NRMCA provided testimony on proposed code changes to the model building, fire and wildland urban interface codes at the International Code Council (ICC) Group A Public Comment Hearings which took place on September 21 - 25 in Pittsburgh. NRMCA Vice President, Fire Codes and Standards, Shamim Rashid-Sumar joined concrete and allied industry advocates to provide technical information on public comments to proposed code provisions impacting the concrete industry. NRMCA and industry allies were successful in upholding previously issued committee disapprovals against the introduction of combustible materials for fire wall construction; removing noncombustible protection for mass timber floors; allowing mass timber in exterior walls of Type III construction and the use of fire retardant treated wood in mass timber walls.
NRMCA and industry allies were also successful in overturning previous committee disapprovals to support favorable code changes, such as establishing compliance with requirements for flame spread in exterior walls based on approved analyses using existing test data as well as a new requirement for a minimum amount of metal flashing or noncombustible construction at ground, decking and roof intersections for exterior walls of structures in the wildland urban interface.
The final stage for decisions on these provisions of the 2024 I-codes will be the Online Governmental Consensus Vote (OGCV) taking place over the next two weeks following the public comment hearings.
Build With Strength is a coalition led by NRMCA that promotes standards advocacy to leverage policies on safety and resiliency and help place more concrete. For more information on fire codes and standards advocacy efforts, contact Shamim Rashid-Sumar at ssumar@nrmca.org.
National Ready Mixed Concrete Association