The Atlantic County Board of Freeholders voted unanimously to support a piece of legislation making its way through the New Jersey state legislature, which seeks to improve safety standards and building materials for new low and mid-rise lightweight construction.
Atlantic is joined by nine other counties in their endorsement, which means 67% of the state population in New Jersey are represented by counties supporting stronger building codes and noncombustible mid- to high-rise construction.
“Any legislator in New Jersey would tell you that the Edgewater fire in 2015 was a wake-up call to the dire need for better fire safety measures,” says Kevin Lawlor, spokesperson for Build with Strength. “It’s critical codes are adopted that allow communities to be built with safe, strong and resilient materials.”
The measure is also supported by state officials, labor groups and fire safety experts across the state, including the Senate President, Deputy Speaker, NJ FMBA, PFANJ, IAFF/AFL-CIO and NJFPPA.
“I look forward to passing this bill to ensure that when our brave men and women run into that fire, they’re safe and that we have done everything we possibly can to protect them so that they can go home to their families,” said Senate President Sweeney at a press conference in Atlantic City late last year. The Senate President, along with bill sponsors Senator Stack and Assemblyman DeAngelo have been vocal proponents of strengthening fire safety standards using non-combustible materials in New Jersey.
Build with Strength, a coalition of the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA), has launched a campaign to educate citizens, local and state officials, and industry experts about the inherent dangers of wood-framed construction, particularly in multi-story, residential and commercial buildings. As a grassroots organization, they work with local elected officials and industry workers, from architects to project managers to advocate for the safety benefits of working with concrete-based construction.
Learn more at www.buildwithstrength.com
