{"id":1623,"date":"2026-08-31T14:33:26","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T18:33:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saferbuildings.net\/home\/working-with-code-officials\/"},"modified":"2026-08-31T14:33:26","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T18:33:26","slug":"working-with-code-officials","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/saferbuildings.net\/home\/working-with-code-officials\/","title":{"rendered":"Working With Code Officials"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The following essay is reproduced in full from Appendix D of the Safer Buildings Coalition’s Complete ERCES Handbook with NICET In-Building Public Safety Communications (IB-PSC) Study Guide<\/a>. It is written from a code official’s perspective for the ERCES design and integration community.<\/em><\/p>\n

Working With Code Officials<\/h2>\n

By Chris Brunette, Fire & Life Safety Section Chief, Colorado Division of Fire Prevention & Control<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Chris<\/p>\n

First and foremost, it is important to note that code officials, just like venue owners, licensees, and system integrators, have a job to do, which relies on the cooperation of all the players involved. Simply stated, the job of the code official is to protect life and property. We do this by confirming that the solution in question has been designed and installed in accordance with all the applicable codes, standards, laws, and manufacturer’s requirements. Contrary to what some people might believe, code officials do not derive pleasure in failing a project; in fact, code officials much prefer being able to pass an installation on the first inspection, saving everyone time, labor, and money. As it is with most things, success is most easily attained through good preparation and additional effort at the outset of any project.<\/p>\n

Code officials are looking to partner with the project players. In any partnership, the initial stages of engagement can define the rest of the relationship throughout a project. When partners in business first begin to build their relationship there are three significant qualities that they are looking for in their partners \u2014 professionalism, expertise, and dependability. In some cases, you will be able to start to display these qualities in an initial meeting with the code officials; however, it is important to keep in mind that your project is one of many that the code official is responsible for and they may not have the time to meet on each and every project that is taking place in their jurisdiction. Because of this, the first interaction a code official may have with you and your project may be through an initial review of your design documents.<\/p>\n

With this in mind, it becomes all the more important that you are conveying your professionalism, expertise, and dependability through your initial document submittal. Design documents that are incomplete, hard to follow or decipher, messy, or contain numerous errors will have the effect of diminishing the code official’s confidence in you and your team’s ability to deliver a professional and dependable product that is expertly designed and installed. Also bear in mind that the code official’s job is to confirm that the design and installation of the system fits within the constraints established in all the applicable codes, standards, laws, and manufacturer’s requirements. If you are looking for a quick turn-around of your design documents, with few questions or citations, present your documents in a way that aids the code official in recognizing how the design meets these requirements.<\/p>\n

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“If you are looking for a quick turn-around of your design documents, with few questions or citations, present your documents in a way that aids the code official in recognizing how the design meets these requirements.”<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

As you continue to work with the code official, it is important to recognize that the design and installation of an IB-ERCES is unique in that, unlike all other life safety systems which are installed to protect the building and its occupants, IB-ERCES’ are installed primarily to protect the first responders; many, if not all of whom, the code official will likely associate with family. More simply said, you are designing and installing a system that, among other things, protects the lives of people who are intimately important to the code official you’re working with. The code official will be looking for a partner who understands this and places similar importance on the effectiveness and dependability of the system.<\/p>\n

Before starting the system design and certainly before submitting your design documents to the code official, make sure to gain a clear understanding of the local requirements, from regulations and ordinances to what their code adoption is and then design to these requirements. Also, make sure you have a clear understanding of who the decision-makers are and what the appeals process may be. Remember that, while confirming that the design and installation of the system fits within the constraints established in all the applicable codes, standards, laws, and manufacturer’s requirements, a code official is often put in the position of interpreting these requirements.<\/p>\n

If you find that you have a different interpretation of the same requirement, respectfully approach the code official and request the opportunity to discuss how your interpretations differ. If a code official is going to alter their interpretation or consider an equivalent solution, the responsibility is on you to provide the information necessary for them to do so. Remember that a change in a code official’s interpretation is likely to affect more than just your project, so be sure to have strong supporting information, such as having a TIA to cite or getting a determination from NFPA or IFC, that you can share with them for their future use. In all cases, make sure to treat the code official with understanding and respect for their point of view and they will likely reciprocate.<\/p>\n

If you find that you’ve exhausted all your resources and the code official ultimately doesn’t go for your alternative solution, then it may be time to accept the code official’s interpretation and move on. You don’t have to like or even agree with the interpretation, but it’s important to maintain the relationship you’ve worked hard to build. Be very careful about going over the code official’s head and try to avoid it, if at all possible; however, if you decide the code official’s interpretation isn’t something you can accept, it may be necessary to escalate the discussion. When you choose to take this action, do so as respectfully as possible and make sure to inform the code official that you are taking this step. Again, this should be a last resort and you’ll need to recognize and work to mitigate the damage this may ultimately cause to your relationship with the code official.<\/p>\n

Once your design documents have been approved, make sure to have a good understanding at what stages of the installation the code official would like to be involved. Again, yours is not the only project the code official will be working on, so it is important to remain in contact, but not to over-burden the code official with extraneous communications. Know their processes for requesting inspections and don’t fall behind in making requests or informing the code official of any significant changes to the project. When calling for inspections, make sure that you and your team are truly ready for the inspection requested \u2014 requesting the code official for an inspection you are not yet ready for is a good way for them to begin to lose confidence in you and your team.<\/p>\n

When the code official arrives for inspection, remember that they are looking to confirm that the installation meets all the applicable requirements and they are looking to you, your expertise, and your familiarity with the system to show them how it meets. In additional, the code official is going to utilize the approved design documents to confirm that the system was installed as agreed upon by them and the system integrators. If there has been a deviation from the approved design documents during installation, be prepared to explain why the deviation was necessary and how it meets all the requirements that the code official must apply.<\/p>\n

All that said, at the end of the day the most important thing that the code official is going to want to see is that their radio works and that the system is reliable. If they key-up a radio in the building and it fails to work, be prepared to explain to them how you intend to correct it and the amount of time it will take to do so. Code officials are used to these types of situations occurring and understand that things may not always work on the first try. They also understand that this is an important part of their function \u2014 finding errors with an installation during testing, rather than having the end users find them during a real-life situation where it could result in dire consequences. It is important not to take these situations personally and do not get defensive. The code official will work with you, as long as you continue to show that you are committed to working with him\/her. When the code official returns, be prepared to explain to him\/her where the error occurred and what you did to correct the situation.<\/p>\n

Following successful acceptance of your project, your job is not complete. Remember, the code official or their representative will be back to conduct periodic maintenance inspections. Make sure the venue owner and their representatives are prepared. Get a good understanding of maintenance inspection expectations and pass this along to the venue. Obtain all relevant contact information for the code official, including their website information. Ask how often the venue should expect to be visited by the code official’s office and obtain the contact information for the individual who will be responsible for conducting the maintenance inspections, if possible, and pass this along to the venue owner as well. Educate the venue owner and their representatives on the system, its components, and ongoing maintenance responsibilities. Provide them with an understanding of what paperwork should be maintained and if\/when ongoing testing and maintenance should be conducted.<\/p>\n

Remember, you are designing and installing a system intended to be the lifeline for people that the code official cares intimately for and they are looking for you to take that responsibility seriously. Code officials want to partner with you on your project and are looking to you to be professional, provide expertise, and install a system that is effective and dependable. The way they ensure this is through comparing your design and installation to the applicable codes, standards, laws, and manufacturer’s requirements \u2014 show them how you’ve accomplished this. At the end of the project, the code official wants this system to work well just as much as you do; remember that you are both part of a team that is working towards one goal of providing a system that is both effective and reliable.<\/p>\n

About Chris Brunette<\/h3>\n

Chris has spent the last 20 years serving in various roles and capacities with a number of fire agencies, both as a volunteer and career firefighter and continues to volunteer for his local volunteer fire protection district today. Chris joined the State of Colorado as a Life Safety Inspector for the Department of Public Health and Environment in January 2009. His team was transferred to the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention & Control (DFPC) to combine with their existing prevention bureau to form the Fire & Life Safety Section in 2013. With DFPC, he filled various roles from Fire Inspections Unit Chief to Fire Plan Review Unit Chief, to now leading as the Section Chief. Chris holds a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership, is a credentialed and certified Fire Marshal, and before his career in the fire service was a public safety communicator and police and fire dispatch supervisor for several years.<\/p>\n

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Excerpted from Appendix D of the Complete ERCES Handbook with NICET In-Building Public Safety Communications (IB-PSC) Study Guide<\/strong>, by Chief Alan Perdue (ret.), CFO, FM and John S. Foley, with Mike Brownson. \u00a9 Safer Buildings Coalition. Reproduced with the author’s permission. NFPA\u00ae, National Fire Protection Association\u00ae, and the NFPA “flame in square” logo are registered trademarks of the National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA.<\/em><\/p>\n

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The following essay is reproduced in full from Appendix D of the Safer Buildings Coalition’s Complete ERCES Handbook with NICET In-Building Public Safety Communications (IB-PSC) Study Guide. It is written from a code official’s perspective for the ERCES design and integration community. Working With Code Officials By Chris Brunette, Fire & Life Safety Section Chief, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1623","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/saferbuildings.net\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1623","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/saferbuildings.net\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/saferbuildings.net\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saferbuildings.net\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saferbuildings.net\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1623"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/saferbuildings.net\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1623\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/saferbuildings.net\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1623"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}