The Code Officials Conference of Michigan held their Fall Conference.
Code Officials Conference of Michigan (COCM) is a professional organization dedicated to building code enforcement in the State of Michigan. Their Fall Conference took place in late September at the beautiful Crystal Mountain Resort in Thompsonville, Michigan. David Dodge, VP of Business and Code Development at McKEON, was invited to conduct a 5-hour seminar during the week.
Over 60 class attendees participated in Mr. Dodge’s Track 2-assigned seminar titled “Fire Door Systems, A Guide to Code Compliance.” The course was approved by the Michigan State Building Code Commission. It addressed specific challenges regulatory officials face when approving and inspecting architectural designs for structures in the built environment. The curriculum included the following:
- Defining the five walls of the IBC
- Fire-resistance ratings versus Fire-protection ratings
- The use of the Fire Barrier walls in shaft and other vertical opening separation requirements
- Atrium design and construction
- Additional vertical space considerations
- Exploring the Myths vs Facts of the smoke and fire rated protective curtains
All who attended took part in a discussion prompted by the topic. They particularly appreciated learning more of the history of the IBC, NFPA and how the building codes and standards work together to create safer buildings.