Contractors should be aware that the 2005 Ohio Fire Code (OFC) took effect on September 1, 2005. The previously existing code was replaced in its entirety by this new fire code. The 2005 OFC took effect after completing Ohio's legislative review process for administrative rules, which included a July 28, 2005 hearing before the Ohio General Assembly's Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR). The 2005 OFC was filed with the Legislative Service Commission, the Ohio Secretary of State and JCARR on August 22, 2005. The newly adopted fire code gives departments more involvement on the ground floor of new buildings before they are built. For more on this story, click here.