The International Code Council Foundation (ICC Foundation) announced that HGTV celebrity Mike Holmes will serve as the 2012 honorary ambassador of the 32nd annual building safety month in May. Holmes was chosen as the voice of building safety month because of his longstanding commitment to building safety, sustainability and his success in raising public consciousness with his “Build It Right” and “Make it Right” messages.

“Mike Holmes is known for building it right, which is the very foundation and purpose of building codes and standards,” said ICC Foundation President Richard P. Weiland. “Mike has helped families throughout the world understand the critical role building codes and code officials play in defending against building failure. We thank Mike for taking on this role — having him on board is a great way to raise awareness of building safety month and that helps make our communities safer.”

“When I started down this road more than 30 years ago, my goal was to help homeowners. That hasn’t changed. But for me it’s important to go beyond just fixing their homes. I wanted to teach them about proper building methods and code requirements to protect them against unskilled contractors,” said Holmes. “Building codes are meant to protect us. And the more people understand and respect that, the better we will build and the safer our communities will be.”

Holmes will launch building safety month with a satellite media tour on April 27 and participate in the awareness initiative through a variety of public outreach initiatives including social media and a public service announcement (PSA). The PSA, which will be made available to code officials for use in their local communities, will help families better understand the critical role of codes and code officials in defending against building failure of any kind.

ICC Foundation also announced the Air Movement and Control Association International Inc. (AMCA) will be the Presenting Sponsor for Building Safety Month. Additional sponsors include BASF for “Energy & Green Building Week”, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH) for “Disaster Safety & Mitigation Week” and more than a dozen internationally renowned building, fire safety and sustainability organizations.

Building Safety Month is marked each year by 50,000 International Code Council members through official ceremonies, community outreach events, demonstration projects and school-based programs. Last year, President Barack Obama issued the first-ever Presidential Proclamation declaring May as national building safety month.

For more information, visit www.buildingsafetymonth.org.

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