Engineered lumber to be tagged

GREENCASTLE -- A county ordinance adopted by Putnam County Commissioners at Monday's meeting requires all new building structures using engineered lumber to be tagged for the protection of emergency responders.

The City of Greencastle and the Greencastle Fire Department enacted and approved a similar ordinance in May 20008.

"The use of this type of lumber in building construction presents a great danger to firefighting personnel when those structures are involved in fire conditions. The Engineered Lumber in floor and roof assemblies will collapse, without warning, after being exposed to heat or flame contact for a very short period of time," said County Planner Kim Hyten.

This sticker does not mean that your building is hazardous. It does not affect your insurance rates or cause any other concern for the building owner. They are only applied to alert firefighters of a potential danger of collapse of the building under fire conditions.

Stickers identifying prefabricated I-joists, truss rafters and laminated beams and studs made of engineered lumber will be placed on electrical meters of all residential and commercial buildings with engineered lumber.

The stickers are shaped like a house and have the Putnam County Building Dept. name in the center. They will have either a "T" indicating trusses only made of engineered lumber, an "E" for floor joists only or both letters if the wood used is both trusses and floor joists.

The ordinance asks owners with engineered lumber to volunteer to have the reflective stickers placed on their electrical meter. All new construction will have the stickers.

Any person violating the ordinance by refusing to use the reflective sticker or removing it is subject to a fine of $25 per violation. Each day a violation occurs is a separate violation and subject to a separate fine under the ordinance. The ordinance is in effect as of July 20, 2009.

Cost of the stickers is set at approximately $2 and can be ordered through the Putnam County Planning Department at 653-5727.