May 9, 2016
For the past six years, a Presidential Proclamation has been issued declaring May National Building Safety Month.
Founded by the International Code Council, it is observed worldwide to highlight the critical need for sound building practices and code compliance to produce and maintain safe and sustainable structures.
The City of Philadelphia’s Department of Licenses and Inspections marked the beginning of Building Safety Month with a ceremony at City Hall last week. At the event, L&I announced a series of awareness and outreach events in May, bringing the agency to the public “to make safety a priority that’s visible and accessible”.
Building Safety Month is also a time to look at your home or office and to see if you are as ready and as safe as possible. Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management presents free READYHome and READYBusiness workshops to help you be prepared.
Some building safety tips include:
- Stay in communication before, during, and after an emergency with ReadyPhiladelphia alerts.
- Prepare your home for emergencies to keep your family safe. Make an emergency plan and have a Go-Bag.
- Put at least one smoke alarm on every level of your home. Good locations include outside each sleeping area and/or in every bedroom.
- If you live in Philly but can’t afford a smoke detector, contact 311. The Philadelphia Fire Department will give you one at no cost.
- Pick a meeting place outside the home where everyone will meet. Practice your escape plan with everyone in your family two times each year.
- Some children and older adults cannot hear the smoke alarm when they are sleeping. Make a plan for how to wake them up.
- Portable heaters need their space. Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away.
- Place the barbecue grill away from siding, deck railings and out from under eaves and overhanging branches.
- Do not use grills in a garage, porch or enclosed area that could trap carbon monoxide. Never grill on top of anything that can easily burn.
- When a major storm is on the way, secure outdoor furniture, trash cans, grills, toys that can cause injury or damage during storms with high winds.
- Start your construction or renovation project the right way with Licenses and Inspections.
What keeps you up at night? The Office of Emergency Management needs to hear Philadelphia residents’ concerns through a two minute survey as we update the City’s Hazard Mitigation Plan.