Every CKCOG staff member completes Code Official Safety Specialist (COSS) Training and Certification
The CKCOG’s Code Enforcement Officers enforce Building Codes, Property Maintenance Codes, Municipal Codes and Ordinances, Fire Safety Codes, Housing Codes, and Zoning Codes on behalf of 49 Member Municipalities.
Enforcing these Codes on behalf of the Municipalities we serve involves inherent risks and dangers. It may involve requiring citizens to change their lifestyles, impact their businesses, force them to alter their property, or give up their cherished possessions. It may be perceived as creating economic hardships, threatening livelihoods or causing the loss of real property.
In the last 4 years, four (4) Code Enforcement Officers have been murdered while doing their jobs. One was shot and set on fire at a scheduled inspection, another shot inside city hall, a third shot while posting a property, and the fourth officer was stabbed in his vehicle after an inspection by an employee of the business. Pennsylvania has lost two Code Officials, both murdered while performing their job duties, one in 2013 and one in 2018. There have been hundreds of recorded incidents that did not escalate to murder but left a Code Officer injured. (Just Walk Away – Article)
When a Code Officer is not a direct employee of a municipality, their safety can easily be overlooked by the jurisdictions they serve. Whether it is a financial issue, policy concern, or simply lack of knowledge about the challenges Code Officers face, the outcomes are the same. The CKCOG is committed to the safety of our Code Officers and staff, providing them with the training, tools, and resources to permit them to employ the best safety practices in and out of the office.
As a part of this commitment to safety, every member of the CKCOG staff, including Building Code, Property Maintenance, Fire, and Housing Code Inspectors, Zoning Officers, and all office staff have participated in the Code Official Safety Specialist training courses offered by the Code Enforcement Officer Safety Foundation (see links below for more information on this foundation and their mission) in conjunction with the International Code Council. This training focused on developing a comprehensive understanding of safety principles – including situational awareness, body language, pre-incident indicators, verbal de-escalation skills, understanding the factors of time, distance, and environment – and applying these skills every day, to every inspection. (Customer Service or Officer Safety? – Article)
The Code Enforcement Officer Safety Foundation (CEOSF) is a national charitable non-profit 501(c)(3)committed to promote the best practices for the safety of Code Officials throughout the United States; to provide a resource for officers; report incidents; providing up-to-date training and to encourage a high standard of professionalism within our chosen profession. CEOSF is recognized by the International Code Council (ICC), the American Association of Code Enforcement, the National Animal Care & Control Association, and many state associations.
