Guy Tomberlin, CBO, is chief plumbing inspector for Fairfax County, VA. He has been with Fairfax since 1985 serving code enforcement. Tomberlin also is vice president of the Virginia Building and Code Officials Association, and past president of the Virginia Plumbing and Mechanical Inspectors Association. He invites readers of PM Engineer to visit www.vpmia.org and view the many comments received on this subject.
In July 2006, at a National Townhall Meeting in Denver, CO, the proposed joint venture between the International Code Council (ICC) and International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) to produce one mechanical and one plumbing code for use across the country was unveiled. [See pp. 10-11 in August 2006 PM Engineer] While development of one mechanical and one plumbing code for use across the country may be commendable from some points of view, the potential sacrifices incumbent to the process must be evaluated closely before any final commitment takes place. I'd like to identify several key issues that must be addressed before this concept becomes a reality.