ADA National Network Learning Session: Fitting Accessibility into the Design and Construction Standards of Storm Shelters

The ICC 500 is a standard for the design and construction of storm shelters for protection from tornados and hurricanes. This course will review where storm shelters are required by the International building codes. There will also be an overview of the technical, or the how to, requirements in the ICC 500, including access for persons with disabilities. The needs of the type of shelter differ because of the differences between tornadoes and hurricanes. Some of the biggest differences is the amount of warning time to get to a shelter, the time the occupants will stay in the shelter and the differences in the forces from the wind and debris on the shelter. This class will explain those differences and the why behind the requirements.

Learning objectives:

• Identify where storm shelters are required in the codes.
• Determine the extent to which storm shelter standard (ICC 500) provisions apply for required and non-required storm shelters
• Have a general understanding of scoping (where) and technical (how) requirements for tornado and hurricane storm shelters

Presenter:

Kimberly Paarlberg is a Senior Staff Architect in Technical Services with the International Code Council (ICC). Her experience with ICC includes work in the plan review and code development departments with responsibilities for code development, providing code interpretations, instructing technical seminars and authoring and reviewing instruction materials, code commentary and publication articles. Kimberly serves as code development secretary for the IBC Means of Egress/Accessibility and IBC and IRC Structural committees. She is ICC representative for development of the referenced technical standard, ICC/ANSI A117.1 "Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities." She is also secretariat for the ICC 500 - Design and Construction of Storm Shelters.

Before joining ICC, Kimberly worked as a structural engineer and architect. Kim is a licensed architect in Illinois and holds an Accessibility Inspector/Plans Examiner certification. She is also a member of her county Civil Emergency Response Team (CERT), and has completed several FEMA classes.