MikeC
Silver Member
I have been here for a little over a year. I have asked questions and contributed to some discussions, but never really introduced myself. So here it goes....
I had never intended to get involved in building codes. I was originally interested in becoming a fire fighter. I started the path of becoming a firefighter at the age of 16. I became an EMT when I was 18. I began working for a privately owned ambulance service when I was 20. Shortly after that I realized that becoming a paramedic would greatly improve my chances of becoming a fire fighter. So, off to paramedic school I went. It worked. I was hired as a fire fighter in less than three years.
On came a new chapter in my life. Got married and had kids. My wife is a nurse who works twelve hour shifts. I worked twenty-four hour shifts. Childcare was very difficult in a small town with our screwed up working schedules. Something had to change. The code office is based out of the fire department and staffed by fire fighters who worked 8-4 Monday through Friday with weekends and holidays off. These guys performed property maintenance, rental inspections, and enforced the residential side of the PA Uniform Construction Code. Commercial, all electrical, and all plumbing and handled by other people (I could go into detail, but I won't). Anyway, the city realized that the two guys in the code enforcement office could retire at any point, so they posted a sign-up sheet for interested fire fighters to get trained and be able to take over some day. Two of us signed up. Both of us signed up for the same reason, a normal schedule.
As time passed, both guys retired within two months of each other, along with the fire chief retiring at the same time. One of the guys who signed up was promoted to fire chief, which left the other to take over the code enforcement office which was downsized to one guy (me) and a secretary who works for three different offices (fire department, code enforcement, and the city health department). At this time, I only had one ICC cert (IPMC) and nothing from PA Labor & Industry. So here I was, at the age of 37, going back to school.
So, the interesting way of looking at it is that becoming a paramedic was a prerequisite for me to get into the building code industry.
Also, because I was hired into the fire department as a paramedic, I have to maintain that certification, including of the smaller certs that come with it - CPR, Advance Cardiac Life Support, Advance Pediatric Life Support, International Trauma Life Support. Needless to say, it seems that I am constantly doing some type of continuing education.
That's my story. Now you all know.
I had never intended to get involved in building codes. I was originally interested in becoming a fire fighter. I started the path of becoming a firefighter at the age of 16. I became an EMT when I was 18. I began working for a privately owned ambulance service when I was 20. Shortly after that I realized that becoming a paramedic would greatly improve my chances of becoming a fire fighter. So, off to paramedic school I went. It worked. I was hired as a fire fighter in less than three years.
On came a new chapter in my life. Got married and had kids. My wife is a nurse who works twelve hour shifts. I worked twenty-four hour shifts. Childcare was very difficult in a small town with our screwed up working schedules. Something had to change. The code office is based out of the fire department and staffed by fire fighters who worked 8-4 Monday through Friday with weekends and holidays off. These guys performed property maintenance, rental inspections, and enforced the residential side of the PA Uniform Construction Code. Commercial, all electrical, and all plumbing and handled by other people (I could go into detail, but I won't). Anyway, the city realized that the two guys in the code enforcement office could retire at any point, so they posted a sign-up sheet for interested fire fighters to get trained and be able to take over some day. Two of us signed up. Both of us signed up for the same reason, a normal schedule.
As time passed, both guys retired within two months of each other, along with the fire chief retiring at the same time. One of the guys who signed up was promoted to fire chief, which left the other to take over the code enforcement office which was downsized to one guy (me) and a secretary who works for three different offices (fire department, code enforcement, and the city health department). At this time, I only had one ICC cert (IPMC) and nothing from PA Labor & Industry. So here I was, at the age of 37, going back to school.
So, the interesting way of looking at it is that becoming a paramedic was a prerequisite for me to get into the building code industry.
Also, because I was hired into the fire department as a paramedic, I have to maintain that certification, including of the smaller certs that come with it - CPR, Advance Cardiac Life Support, Advance Pediatric Life Support, International Trauma Life Support. Needless to say, it seems that I am constantly doing some type of continuing education.
That's my story. Now you all know.
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