Next month the City of Oxford will participate in the 41st annual Building Safety Month by offering different activities for residents to participate in.

This year’s campaign is called “Prevent, Prepare, Protect. Building Codes Save” highlights the importance of building codes in providing a strong and resilient final product, with regularly updated codes ensuring communities are protected in the face of disasters.

As residents prepare themselves for the increased severity and frequency of natural disasters, building safety is even more important. Disaster mitigation through the adoption and strict enforcement of building codes is one of  the best ways for a community to prepare and protect against future disasters.

Homes and buildings that are built in compliance with building safety codes and the men and women who enforce these codes are essential for helping communities minimize the risks of death or serious injury in the event of a disaster.

“The men and women that serve as building safety and fire prevention experts are hidden heroes to our community,” said City of Oxford Building Official Chris Carter. “They inspect buildings and review construction plans to ensure code compliance and to ensure the places where you live, work, and play are safe.”

There will be four different themes each week in May. The first week will be “Fire Safety” followed by “Training the Next Generation,” “Water Safety” and Disaster Preparedness.

The city’s building department has collaborated with the Oxford Fire Department to host some events to celebrate Building Safety Month. Events include live burns to demonstrate the rapid spread of fire, live burns to demonstrate the effectiveness of fire sprinklers, fire safety obstacle courses at local elementary schools among others.

On May 6 and 7, the City of Oxford’s Building and Fire Departments will visit Central Elementary School to host an outdoor fire-safety themed obstacle course for the students. On May 7, there will also be a live demonstration where two small structures will be built and placed on site. One of the buildings will be equipped with automatic fire sprinkler and both buildings will then be set on fire.

“We will ignite both buildings to show how fast a fire can spread as well as how fire sprinklers are an effective safety component,” Carter said.

The same demonstrations will be performed at Lafayette County school May 11 through 14.