Rem Brown, IBHS Senior Engineering Manager, and Chuck Miccolis, Commercial Lines Engineer

1. Rem Brown- IBHS Senior Engineering
Manager
Chuck Miccolis- IBHS Commercial Lines
Engineer

2.  for Safer Living®
 for Existing Homes™
 for Safer Business ™

3.  WHY FORTIFIED
 Responding to the membership interest in providing
FORTIFIED type structures
 Building Codes set minimum standards
 Some areas lack a building code or do not enforce it
 Build stronger light commercial buildings
 Reduce property damages and insurance claims
 Protect business operations and livelihoods
 Win-Win situation for business owners, their
customers, insurance companies,
and society as a whole

4.  New light commercial construction
 Banks
 Community centers
 Schools
 Houses of worship
 Restaurants
 Movie theaters
 Small shopping centers
 Self-storage facilities
 Office buildings
 Structures less than 60 ft.
 Other TBD

5.  Natural Catastrophe Risks
 Hurricane
 High Wind
 Tornado and Hail
 Wildfire
 Severe Winter Weather
 Earthquake
 Flood

6.  Non - Natural Catastrophe Risks
 Interior Fire
 Burglary
 Electrical Surge Protection
 Building Envelope and Water/Air Mgmt.

7.  Identify all Nat Cat perils for the location
 Building is designed by a qualified professional
meeting FORTIFIED Design Requirements
 Design Checklist / Compliance Agreement-
Signed /sealed by Design Professional for each
Peril
 Plans are submitted for review to ensure proper
FORTIFIED Design
 QC / Site Inspections / Documentation
 Final Audit by IBHS

8.  Design Guide Draft
 Design Requirements / Technical Information
 Construction Document Requirements
 Guidelines for choosing a design professional
 Information for Inspectors
 Building upon and expanding some design criteria
based on commercial lines experiences and research

9.  Based on combination of:
 Existing Building Codes
 Various widely used and accepted test standards
 Loss history
 Cost considerations
 Scientific research data

10.  International Building Code (IBC) 2009
 Florida Building Code (FBC) 2009
 Similarto IBC, but typically more restrictive
 2004 version with updates in 04, 06, 07 and 2009
supplement
 FBC – HVHZ (High Velocity Hurricane Zone)
 Miami Dade & Broward Counties
 Some occupancies in other FL counties use it
 More restrictive than FBC standard version
 Texas Department of Insurance (TDI)
 2006 IBC with revisions
 first tier counties along the Texas coast
 California Building / Seismic Codes

11.  ASTM (American Society for Testing of
Materials)
 ANSI (American National Standards Institute)
 UL (Underwriters Laboratories)
 FM Global Approval Standards
 Florida Building Code / Miami Dade County
Test Protocols HVHZ– TAS (Testing
Application Standards)

12.  Design / Installation / Construction Guidelines are
based on:
 ASCE 7 (American Society of Civil Engineers)
 NRCA (National Roofing Contractors Association)
 ANSI- Voluntary Standardization System
 FM Global Data Sheets
 Metal Roofing Systems Design Manual by Metal Buildings
Manufacturers Association(MBMA)
 Florida Building Code / Miami Dade County HVHZ– RAS
(Roofing Application Standards)
 FEMA Design Guides
 SMACNA (Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning
Contractors' National Association)
 NFPA Standards

13.  FORTIFIED Design Wind Speed increased 20 mph
over ASCE 7 basic wind speed for the location
 Roof system attachments include a factor of safety
of 2.0 for uplift pressure rated for FORTIFIED
Design Wind Speed
 Opening protection required for all buildings with
ASCE 7 wind speed of 100 mph (FORTIFIED
Design Wind Speed of 120 mph) or greater
 Walls must be impact resistant
(no standard EIFS)

14.  Similar to Hurricane with the exception of:
 Opening protection is NOT required
 Walls are NOT required to be impact resistant

15.  Impact Resistant Roof Covering required
 Steep Sloped Roofs – UL 2218 Class 4 or FM 4473
Class 4
 Low Sloped Roofs – FM 4470 rating Class 1-SH

16.  Wildfire Risk Assessment Checklist
 Determine Hazard Level
 Low
 Moderate
 High
 Extreme
 Design requirements based on the Hazard
Level

17.  Fire Protection Engineer must design the fire
protection system
 The fire protection system must be designed in
accordance with NFPA 13 – Standard for
Installation of Sprinkler Systems

18.  FORTIFIED compliance process combined with
the FORTIFIED technical / design
requirements equals “Code Plus.”

19.  Design Guide operational for end users
 Online infrastructure for FFSB Applicants, Plan
Reviews, Site Inspections, Forms
 Utilize
processes and infrastructure already created
by FORTIFIED for Safer Living and Existing Homes
 Pilot Project

20.  Plan Review Process
 Train plan reviewers and create the online
infrastructure
 Provide plan submittal checklists for efficient
communication with construction groups
 Provide a “thorough” Summary Plan Review Letter

21.  Site Inspections / Construction Quality Control
 Traininspectors and create the online infrastructure
 Provide simple checklists for items that can be
simply checked off and do not require a site visit
 Include requirements for providing information with
supporting photos
 In depth checklists for site visits
 Ensure efficient communication with construction
groups
 Provide a “thorough”
Project Follow Up Letter

22.  We will use our FORTIFIED sister program –
Fortified for Safer Living as a model for our
program
 Solicitation of Pilot Projects
 Commercial Lines Committee or the Fortified
for Safer Business Task Force

23.  Code Plus Construction
 Design Guide
 Compliance
 Plan Review
 QC /Site Inspections for construction
 Final Audit
 FORTIFIED Designation

24. Thank You