Today, we celebrate the eighth anniversary of the Speaking in Code BLAST (SIC BLAST). Created in September 2018, the SIC BLAST was born a few years after its forebear, the original Speaking in Code newsletter (2016), which is celebrating its tenth anniversary. The SIC newsletter is published once a month, is generally two to three pages in length, and goes into more detail than a SIC BLAST. The SIC BLAST is sent out about twice per month, is always one page, and is very brief in its subject detail.
SIC articles almost always address special inspections and building code compliance criteria related to project special inspections. The first SIC BLAST eight years ago focused on the word verification because special inspectors must verify that construction materials and methods comply with applicable building code criteria. You can find the word verify hundreds – if not thousands – of times in the various iterations of the International Building Code (IBC) and the model codes and standards that the IBC code adopts.
SIC is read coast to coast, from Alaska to Texas and from California to Maine. SIC readers often reach out to us with building code questions and actual project dilemmas. SIC author Alan Tuck has assisted readers with building code-related queries and solutions from almost every state in the country. It is incredible how often building code acceptance
criteria solve construction problems in the field, and we’re proud to have been part of many project solutions over the years.
Established in 1881, Froehling & Robertson, Inc. (F&R) is the oldest independent consulting engineering/testing firm in the United States. Since our founding, F&R has transitioned from a single chemical laboratory to a multidisciplinary, minority-owned firm with 11 operations serving the Mid-Atlantic. We focus on delivering stellar service to clients in environmental consulting, geotechnical engineering, and construction materials testing. Because everything we do supports clients’ project and program goals, we strive to advance the quality and stability of every project we touch in order to protect people and property.
For more information or further enthusiastic discourse on topics of CODE, please contact Alan Tuck at atuck@fandr.com or 540.344.7939.
