­­For Immediate Release: April 22, 2022

The City of Alexandria invites the public to celebrate Building Safety Month in May with a Kick-Off event on May 6, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., in Market Square (301 King St.). The annual awareness month recognizes the importance of building safety and the code professionals who implement them. This year’s theme is “Safety for ALL -- Building Codes in Action.”

The free event will include a proclamation by Mayor Justin Wilson, remarks by City Manager James Parajon, and keynote speaker International Code Council President Cindy Davis, followed by lunch, a free raffle and exhibits from City departments and the local building community. Building Safety Month is an annual public awareness campaign to help individuals, families and businesses understand what it takes to build safe and sustainable structures. Founded by the International Code Council, Building Safety Month is celebrated in May by jurisdictions worldwide. Each week, the global campaign will address a new topic about keeping our communities safe and resilient. The campaign reinforces the need for adoption of modern, model building codes; a strong and efficient system of code enforcement; and a well-trained, professional workforce to maintain the system. 

The Kick-Off event will also feature a free training session from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Virginia Energy Conservation Code, provided by VIRIDIANT of Virginia. The training session, which includes hands-on mechanical equipment performance testing, provides the equivalent of five hours of Continuing Education Units (CEUs) upon completion. 

Visit alexandriava.gov/Code to register for the training and for more information about Building Safety Month.

For inquiries from the media only, contact Andrea Blackford, Editorial Communications Manager, at andrea.blackford@alexandriava.gov or 703.746.3959. 

For reasonable disability accommodation, contact pete.mensinger@alexandriava.gov or call 703.746.4210.

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This news release is available at alexandriava.gov/go/3575.