Editor, The world will celebrate Building Safety Month in May, and the city of Hinesville Department of Inspections is participating this year. This year’s theme is “An International Celebration of Safe and Sensible Structures.” 
First observed in 1980 as Building Safety Week, Building Safety Month will highlight four areas: energy and green building; disaster safety and mitigation; fire safety and awareness; and backyard safety.
The goal is to raise public awareness of critical safety issues, such as the structural soundness of buildings; reliability of fire prevention and suppression systems; plumbing and mechanical systems; and energy efficiency and sustainability. These issues affect every person, regardless of age or occupation.
Last year marked an important milestone in national and international efforts to promote building safety. Individuals pledged support online, 500 news stories were published and there were more than 30,000 visitors online.
This year, the city of Hinesville is continuing to work to address local issues in the building-safety and fire-code industry.
The public is encouraged to participate and learn about the essential safety work of the city of Hinesville Department of Inspections. We have educational materials available, including brochures about flood cleanup, mold prevention, green building and preparing for natural disasters. 
The sponsor of Building Safety Month, the International Code Council, develops the most widely used building-safety and fire-preventions codes in the nation. The code council’s 50,000 members — made up of local inspectors, plan reviewers and others — work to ensure the safety of the structures in which all of us live, work, attend school, worship and play. These officials provide the first line of defense against building disasters. We are silent but vigilant guardians who work daily to ensure safety in the built environment.
The city of Hinesville Department of Inspections is a member of the International Code Council, and we look forward to joining in the mission of ensuring building safety in our community. For more information, go to www.cityofhinesville.org/inspections, call 876-4147 or visit our office on the second floor of the Hinesville Police Department. We look forward to serving you! 

— Steve Welborn,
city of Hinesville director of inspections