May is Building Safety Month

Building Safety Month is an international campaign by the International Code Council that takes place in May to raise awareness about building safety. This campaign reinforces the need for the adoption of modern, regularly-updated building codes, and helps individuals, families and businesses understand what it takes to create safe and sustainable structures.

This year’s Building Safety Month focuses on four themes: disaster preparation; water safety; resiliency, sustainability and innovation; and training the next generation. Preparing for natural disasters, building/maintaining sustainable neighborhoods/communities, and promoting safe and healthy environments is a top priority. Disaster mitigation through the adoption and enforcement of building codes is one of the best ways for communities to prepare and protect against future disasters. Homes and buildings that are built in compliance with building safety codes and the officials who enforce the codes are essential to helping communities minimize the risks of death, injury and property damage in the event of a disaster.

In Bryan, the city’s six full time and two part-time building inspectors work to ensure new construction and building renovations follow the city’s adopted building codes for electrical, mechanical, plumbing, energy conservation, fuel gas and fire safety. In addition the building inspectors, Bryan has two plans examiners, a chief building official, a drainage inspector and six administrative assistants to assist with permits and inspections.

Since mid-March Bryan has been affected by the COVID-19 public health crisis. Early on, construction activities were identified as essential business, and city staff have been working hard as essential employees to keep the permit and inspection processes going during this time to ensure construction projects can continue. This work could not be done without the following Building Services individuals:

• Joe Nuche, electrical inspector – 24 years
• Derrick Williams, plumbing/mechanical inspector – 13 years
• Jerry Fagan, building inspector – 10 years
• Nick Koski, combination inspector – 11 years
• Kenny Johnson, building inspector – 2 years
• Josh Hall, electrical inspector – 3 months
• Chris Mushinski, part-time building inspector – 28 years
• Danny Sikorski, part-time building inspector – 35 years
• Greg Cox, chief building official – 17 years

To assist with ensuring that building plans are code compliant before structures are built or improvements are made, the city has two plans examiners:

• Craig Tepera, residential plans examiner – 20 years
• Karen Lahde, commercial plans examiner – 16 years

Permits and inspections would not be possible without the assistance of the following support staff:

• Charmaine McKinzie
• Megan Hancock
• Joy Teague
• Yajaira Rivera
• Paige Jackson
• Heather Heath

Learn more about the city’s currently adopted codes.

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