Built To Last - Building Safety Month with Laurie Roberts

Today, we are talking about Building Safety Month, an international celebration in May to raise awareness about building safety. Our guest today is Laurie Roberts, the permit technician here at the City of Dallas.

https://www.iccsafe.org/advocacy/building-safety-month/building-safety-month/

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:12

Welcome to the Dallas Oregon Podcast, your quick and informative source for what's happening in and around our city. I'm Charlie Mitchell, the city's economic and community development director, and each episode we ask city staff, local leaders, and community members to come on in and discuss the projects, people, and possibilities shaping Dallas. Today we're talking about Building Safety Month, an international celebration in May each year to raise awareness about building safety. Our guest today is Lori Roberts, the permit technician here at the City of Dallas. Lori, thank you so much for joining us today.

SPEAKER_00 0:48

Hi, thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_01 0:50

Now, before we get into all the great things you have to share about Building Safety Month, first let's get to know you. Can you give us a 30-second snapshot of your life and then what you do here at the City of Dallas?

SPEAKER_00 1:01

Okay. Um, I've lived in five different states growing up. I've been in Oregon since 1977, and my descendants were pioneers of Dallas. Um, I worked 21 years before the city of Dallas. Um my career started as an administrative assistant doing data entry and developing computers. And then I worked for um as an executive assistant bookkeeper in real estate development, property management, and property insurance claims and underwriting. In July, I will have been with the city of Dallas 25 years. And then I started here as administrative assistant for community development public works and as an executive assistant to the city manager after that and in finance. And now I'm currently the permit technician for um building and planning department, which I love.

SPEAKER_01 1:48

Great. Well, thanks for sharing. Now let's get into building safety month. Lori, can you tell us what building safety month is all about?

SPEAKER_00 1:56

Yes, building safety month is an important um campaign. It's organized by ICC, which is the International Code Council. It takes place in every May to raise awareness about building safety. Um, the campaign reinforces the need for adopting modern, regularly updated building codes and helps individuals, families, and businesses understand what it takes to create sustainable structures. All communities need building codes to protect their citizens from disasters like fires, weather-related events, and structural collapse. And the building codes are society's best way of protecting homes, offices, schools, manufacturing facilities, stores, um, and other entertainment venues. It's dear to my heart, um, my past experiences and claims and underwriting. It's a very important thing.

SPEAKER_01 2:45

Very good. Now, Lori, can you tell us about uh this year's building safety theme?

SPEAKER_00 2:51

Sure. Um, the 2026 campaign theme is called Build to Last, and there are weekly themes that go with that.

SPEAKER_01 2:59

Now, what are those weekly themes?

SPEAKER_00 3:00

Um week one will be about safe homes, strong communities. It focuses on simple actions that homeowners can take to improve safety at their own homes. The week two is called Voices of the Built Environment. It spotlights building safety professionals and the roles that they play in keeping the community safe. Week three is called Prepare to Protect. It encourages community preparedness and highlights how disaster-resilient building codes can protect people and property. And then the final week four is Communities Without Limits. It showcases the importance of accessibility in building construction and design.

SPEAKER_01 3:37

Wow, that's great. Um, do you have a favorite weekly theme?

SPEAKER_00 3:41

Uh no, it's kind of like my kids. They're all equally important. Um, what I like is the concept of the annual event itself. Um, it's a reminder that we need to support each other and do our part to keep each other, our homes, and our communities safe. Um, education and information is key, and that needs to be shared to prevent catastrophic events of all sizes. Um, I've seen what happens when people are not prepared, and that's why I love this campaign.

SPEAKER_01 4:09

So, Building Safety Month is a great way to let people know the importance of building safety. Now, thank you for sharing all about it and the importance of building safety. Now, I understand that people can visit our website and learn more. Is that correct?

SPEAKER_00 4:22

All the information um is available at the wwwdallasor.gov website. And you can learn more about building safety and also links to the ICC website, which has even more information. Um, and that's also how the city of Dallas is sharing information about safety.

SPEAKER_01 4:42

Uh, that's great, Lori. Thanks, thanks so much. And thanks so much for joining us today. Now, before we go to close out our podcast, we ask all of our guests this one question. What do you like the most about Dallas?

SPEAKER_00 4:53

Well, there's a lot of reasons, but Dallas is a beautiful, safe place where a majority of people that live here um they still serve, value, and care about each other in their community. And I I believe that with all my heart.

SPEAKER_01 5:05

That's great. Thanks so much. Thanks again to Lori for joining us today, and thank you to everyone for tuning in. Be sure to follow us on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. Thanks for listening to the Dallas Oregon Podcast. I'm Charlie Mitchell, and we'll see you next time.