erent code subdivisions focused on specific areas of the United States. For example, on the west coast, the ICBO's Uniform Codes were concerned with earthquake problems. In contrast, the Great Lake region's BOCAI's Basic Codes concentrated on heavy snow loading problems. Lastly, the SBCCI's Standard Codes addressed high winds. In 1970, these organizations were combined to form the Council of American Building Officials (CABO). The CABO's Board for the Coordination of the Model Codes has since promoted U.S. building regulation standardization (15:8-9).
Throughout history, building codes have often been enacted only after some major catastrophic event. Some disastrous fires which have occurred in recent decades include the following: (1) Chicago's Conrad Hilton Hotel fire in 1970; (2) New York's One New York Plaza fire in 1970; (3) New York's two World Trade Center fires in 1975; (4) Las Vegas' MGM Grand Hotel fire in 1980; and (5) San Juan, Puerto Rico's Dupont Plaza Hotel fire in 1986 (11:1-53). At the time, the Conrad Hilton Hotel fire was the world's largest hotel fire. The fire originated on the 9th-floor of the 25-story building and resulted in two deaths. This disaster spurred substantial debate on such issues as alarm systems and emergency fire plans. Overall, the various fire events have led to code changes, as well as the implementation of "add-on" fire protection systems. Such systems have improved fire detection, evacuation, suppression, and smoke management capabilities (3:11-12).
Building code improvements probably prevented substantial loss of life when disaster revisited the World Trade Center on February 26, 1993. Shortly after noon on that date, a 680-kilogram bomb in a rented van exploded in the public parking area of basement level B2. The blast killed six, injured more than 1,000, and tore holes in three reinforced concrete structural slabs (9:9-15). Further, most of the building's power and eme...