Press Release

HEARTH Education Foundation
1601 North Kent Street, Suite 1001
Arlington, VA 22209
Contact: Sue Kalish
703-524-8030
info@nficertified.org

For release and affiliate articles:

New HEARTH Handbooks for Building Officials
Help Building Officials Better Understand Hearth Products

Arlington, VA --Two comprehensive and convenient guides to all major hearth appliances and their venting systems, Gas Hearth Systems and Solid Fuel Hearth Systems made their debut at the recent International Codes Council (ICC) Conference in Nashville. The handbooks, written specifically for building and code officials throughout the United States, are a one-stop reference source that will save time and energy as building officials carry out their duties relating to hearth products and their installations.

The handbooks organize and clarify the world of fireplace and stove products for those not entirely acquainted with hearth systems. They cover categories of hearth appliances and venting systems, product standards, types of variations found in manufacturers’ instructions such as floor support and configurations of venting systems. Hard to find information and a convenient index to help locate relevant sections of the major codes or to find information on a particular issue are also included.

Program Director for the HEARTH Education Foundation, Ben Weathersby, author of the manuals, reports that the building officials were very interested in the two handbooks. One official reviewing the handbooks, exclaimed, “You’ve really got something here.” And, NFI (National Fireplace Institute®) was invited to exhibit as well as offer an education program at the Northeast Building Officials Conference in 2004.

In addition to Ben, the booth at the ICC Conference was manned by HEARTH Board member Charlie Krosp of DESA Heating Products, HPBA Director of Public Affairs John Crouch, and HEARTH/NFI Coordinator Caleb Woodard. They distributed hundreds of brochures about the new handbooks and spoke to many officials about the hearth industry and NFI Certification.

Says Weathersby, “It’s the first time our industry has reached out to building officials in such a substantive way. The manuals cover important installation issues with references to major codes including national and international gas codes that have been in effect for the last four years. Plus, the opportunity to speak with officials on a one-to-one basis at the conference provided us with input on the concerns of code and building officials about our products.”

To order a set or learn more about the handbooks, call HEARTH at (703) 524-8030 or visit the HEARTH website www.heartheducation.org under Building and Code Officials.

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