The Department of Planning and Natural Resources has announced that Governor John P. deJongh Jr. has proclaimed the month of May as “Building Safety Month.” The theme is “Building Safety:An International Celebration of Safe and Sensible Structures.”

Building Safety Month2011 will highlight four areas:Energy and Green Building, Disaster Safety and Mitigation, Fire Safety and Awareness, and Backyard Safety. The goal is to raise public awareness of critical safety issues such as the structural soundness of buildings, reliability of fire prevention and suppression systems, plumbing and mechanical systems, and energy efficiency and sustainability. To ensure buildings are safe requires the active participation of building safety and fire prevention officials, architects, builders, engineers and others in the construction industry, as well as property owners.

To help raise local awareness, the Division of Building Permits will promote the use and understanding of building safety and fire prevention codes this month. Attractive educational materials are available for schools and the community at large; for example, children’s activity books, brochures about flood cleanup, mold prevention, green building and preparing for natural disasters. The public is encouraged to visit the Division of Building Permits to learn more about the essential safety work of the division.

This month’s celebration is sponsored by the International Code Council (ICC), a membership association dedicated to building safety, fire prevention and energy efficiency, of which the Virgin Islands is an active member. The ICC develops the codes used to construct residential and commercial buildings, including homes and schools. Most U.S. cities, counties and states choose the International Codes – building safety codes developed by the International Code Council.

For more information on building permits or building safety issues, contact the Division of Building Permits at 774-3320 on St. Thomas or 773-1082 on St. Croix.