News & Info
Unlocking the Secret of Reaching Out - 1/6/09
Why is the Building Codes Professional important? What does a Building Official do, a Building Inspector, and who needs a building permit and why? The public does not have a clue who we are or why what we do is important. After decades we remain the pointy-headed step-kids of public safety. Should we defer to anonymity and quietly go about our business? Why does it make a difference? We cannot seem to make much of a public impression after all of our work and countless hours trying to unlock the secret of outreach. I will tell you why we should not give up: because it is important to the public - they just don't know what they don't know. The problem is not that they will not listen; it is that we don't know diddly about public relations. Our career focus is construction codes.
I have been involved in promoting building safety outreach in Oregon and Washington for 10 years. We’ve made great strides and are proud of our progress. We have participated in dozens of home and garden shows; governmental association and ICC chapter and national events; built and improved designs of display booths; increased training to staff representing us; created slogans and logos applied to clothing, vehicles, and printed materials; run ads on radio and television; hand delivered plans and promotional materials to homeowners; and generally kept ourselves busy and connected. Overall, we have made a lot of progress.
So how come I am left with the feeling that the public (and decision-makers in our organizations) really do not understand the who, what, and why of building safety codes not to mention public outreach on its behalf? Oh sure, they instinctively expect that buildings and homes will not fall apart, self combust, or likely cause harm, but they do not know how those expectations were created nor who is responsible for meeting those expectations. We do such a good job that we have few incidents that command attention. Even during a disaster report, you do not see our preparation or response to the disaster; you see emergency responders and policy makers. There are other organizations with the same image issues such as public works - they are responsible for infrastructure that we expect to just be functional.
So what is the secret of outreach? Standing in a governmental booth, however fetching, is no competition to the guy hawking a magical spray that will not only make any pan look new, it will moisturize and soothe while doing it! Folks walk by our public outreach booth and smile, maybe nod. One in dozens takes a risk to cross over the imaginary threshold to look at the plumbing run in the display wall because he is about to take on a remodeling project with the help of the guys at the home improvement store. He takes a piece of candy, a fridge magnet, and promises to get a permit - we have yet to see him at our counter. And then, the AHA! Moment (perhaps courtesy of those pots and pan guys) - we have to have a hook! We need a reason for them to want to visit us, we need visibility, and we need to create an event within the event! I have a degree in business and tout how, as a fee-based organization, we run more like a business than most government, but I was not using my business brain enough when it came to public outreach.
If we are going to invest in an event, we need to market, not mark time. We need a tie into what we do, we need something that circulates around the show that makes people curious, and as long as we are thinking about it, why not get greedy and get more than one visit - multiple bites at the PR apple, and while we are at it let’s get them involved so they might better retain the message. If you are going to make a plan, why not make it big, you can always scale it back, right?
We came up with a plan that combined all of our goals: First, people could build a birdhouse and get a permit to construct it - this is our tie-in! Second, we will have two booths, one indoor and one outdoor. They visit the indoor booth to get a permit to build a birdhouse, then take it to the outside booth to get a kit and build it. Third, every child gets a little yellow hard hat with a "Think Permit" sticker on the front and stickers of participating jurisdictions on it just like real hardhats have. These kids will circulate around the event and create the buzz (and all the hammering at our booth on the esplanade adds to the buzz). And, we need quality bags with the "Think Permit" logo emblazoned on them for the adults to schlep around. Finally, they will take their completed birdhouse back to our indoor booth to get the dowel that is the perch and a "certificate of occupancy". Three visits to our booths and a buzz and a take-away that will probably not go in the trash right away!
You can tell you have set the hook when people complained that they had to make back and forth trips - they did not say they would not make the trip, they said they "had to" make the trip! No self-respecting home improvement patron was going to pass up this opportunity for free stuff, neat stuff, stuff kids and adults "had to" have and wanted to build. We have unlocked the public outreach secret: Get them involved in our message. No imprinted cheap pens, boring brochures, penny candy, or refrigerator magnets for us - we are interactive performers, rising above the mundane lanes of business booths that once looked over and felt sorry for our boring bureaucratic existence!
Clark County and the City of Vancouver Washington building departments made it happen and it was great! I do not want to give the impression that this was my doing - I run with ideas (and scissors!), the staff made it happen. We have a great bunch of people who took inspiration and excelled. You have to have a team who is committed to a project and to the reason behind the project. As a bonus, we had the local trade high school produce the pieces for the kit and had local suppliers donate most of the materials. It was a community resource project and a public outreach event - cha-ching!
I have not rested on our collective laurels, though. For the 2008 edition of "Bring Your Child to Work" day at Clark County (where we first introduced bird house building in 2007), we had a "build a room sign" activity. 
We had 1 x 4 pieces of pine about 16 inches long and as many craft supplies as we could imagine on hand so kids (and their parents) could get creative. They once again "had to" make a sign and waited in a pretty long line for their chance. In both activities, the smiles were everywhere - people having fun while introduced to who we are and why it is important. I am jealous of the attention fire fighters and swat teams get and am glad to report that things were pretty slow next to the fire truck; the swat team assault vehicle still had it going on, so we have not reached the pinnacle of public safety status yet. The canine performance unit said that we were stealing their audience! I think we might do room signs at this year's Home and Garden Show. We are still working on what we will experiment with for bringing your kid to work day this year. I promise to report if you promise to send me your ideas in exchange.
So what are you, your department, and your chapter going to do? Put up another poster for Building Safety Week and call it good? No disrespect, but that is not going to budge the excite-o-meter. Unless we make something of Building Safety Week we are doomed for the same attention that National Chewing Gum week garners - what? You never heard of that one? I rest my case.
Both the Oregon and Washington Building Officials Associations and dedicated professionals in the individual jurisdictions continue to promote outreach under OBOA’s homegrown ThinkPermit.com program and invite you to visit the website. 
We have made various presentations, but it is still hit-and-miss, and we would be glad to talk to you about the possibilities in your backyard. We can apparently get our profession excited about procedure - why can’t we get that same level of enthusiasm to promote our very existence? We need commitment and effort.
BIO: Jim Muir is Chief Building Official for Clark County Washington and has been in building safety for 16 years in Washington and Oregon. He was an original member of the Oregon public outreach committee and has promoted and presented on the subject for many years. He has been on various state and national committees serving the profession related to legislation, code development, and outreach. He has degrees in Business Management and Building Inspection Technology. Prior to public service he spent twenty years in construction and construction management.
Jim A. Muir
Chief Building Official
Building Safety Division
Clark County Community Development
360-397-2375 x2470
360-607-1466 Cell
jim.muir@clark.wa.gov
www.clark.wa.gov