It’s a flashlight? It’s a camera? Yes, it’s both

Brite Strike Technologies was started by two police officers who wanted to create world-class tactical flashlights. Their latest product, the Duty Light Camera, with its videotaping capabilities is being marketed to the police, the military and other professionals who appreciate portablility and being able to record clearly and easily in low- or no-light situations.

Brite Strike describes the Duty Light Camera as an all-around great duty light that is bright, durable, water-resistant and shock-resistant, in a small size that fits easily on a work belt. But what sets it apart from other flashlights is that it has an easy-to-use, built-in VID digital video recorder with audio capability.

If you are videotaping your inspections, do you find it challenging to set up the proper lighting before filming in dark basements or attics areas? According to Brite Strike, you can operate this flashlight and video camera with one hand, using one finger to control the taping. 

ASHI member Christopher Miller, SuncoastInspections.com, Inc., Dunedin, Fla., agreed to test the Duty Light Camera in the inspection environment, and here’s what he said:

“I am currently using it on a commercial inspection of a church. We have very limited amount of space in the attic so a conventional handy cam is too big and difficult to handle is such a small space. The DLC is rugged, held nicely in the palm of your hand, and it enables us to crawl through the attic and not worry about breaking the screen off the handy cam. It provides us light and the video footage we need to produce the final video for our clients. We are able to produce a complete video of our inspection using the DLC footage along with our handy cam footage. A big plus is no one knows it’s a camera.”

If you’d like to learn more about the flashlight/camera, visit the Brite Strike Technologies website at www.brite-strike.com.

Green Construction Code hearings slated for August

Comment period ended May 14

The International Code Council will hold comment hearings on Public Version 1.0 of the International Green Construction Code (IGCC) August 14-22 at The Westin O’Hare (Rosemont, Ill). Advance registration to attend the hearings is recommended. The hearings are the next step in the Code Council’s governmental consensus code development process that will result in publishing the 2012 IGCC. Version 1.0 continues to be offered as a resource tool for jurisdictions seeking guidance on amending existing codes or writing new codes regulating green construction.

For additional information, visit www.iccsafe.org or call 1-888-ICC-SAFE (422-7233) ext. 4212.

When your client has a question about a manufactured home

The Manufactured Housing Program is a national HUD program established to protect the health and safety of the owners of manufactured (mobile) homes through the enforcement of the federal manufactured home construction and safety standards and administration of dispute resolution.

Consumers can find just about everything they want to know about a manufactured house on the program’s website, and inspectors who inspect these homes may want to recommend the site as a resource to clients who are buying or selling one.

The FAQs answers basic questions such as what to do if the HUD Label, a metal plate affixed to the outside of the manufactured home, and/or Data Plate are missing. Both are necessary to complete a sale.

More complex technical issues are also covered, including foundation requirements in the section covering appraisal and property requirements.

All this and more can be found on www.HUD.gov.