Assembly Egress
Hopefully you're not getting sick of my vacation photos because I've got a few more. This post has a special bonus at the end though - something I've NEVER seen before.
Iroquois Theater Fire
Today is the 107th anniversary of a tragedy at the Iroquois Theater in Chicago, which shaped the early codes and led to the invention of the panic device. More than 600 people lost their lives in this fire, making it the deadliest theater fire and the deadliest single-building fire in United States history.
Another Hotel
I don't stay in flea-bag motels - I really don't. That's why it amazes me that almost every hotel I stay in has extreme issues with their fire doors. I'm on a short vacation with my family, and as you can see from the graphic on the right, the resort consists of several connected 2-story buildings with a total of 256 guest rooms. The only rooms that are equipped with sprinklers are the rooms that have fireplaces - if I had known that I might have sprung for the upgrade.
The Three Bears
I typically try to stick to more technical topics or photos of creative applications related to doors, but I'm on vacation so I'll be posting random photos and thoughts as I've done on other road trips (like these: Chip Falcon's Road Trip, Escape to Costa Rica, Maine/VT 2010). I don't usually write about one brand vs. another because I want this site to have universal appeal, but I just have to share my favorite Christmas gift of 2010 - a story written by my 9-year-old daughter (excuse the spelling and grammar - she learned to read/write in Spanish first so she's still perfecting the English). It cracked me up, and I know some of you will think it's funny too - whether you have IR hardware, or just "regular doors." :-)
Idig Hardware
The blog has hit the big time! American Express wants to give Idig Hardware a gold card! :-)
A Little Housekeeping
I'm working on a post for tomorrow that will solve another hardware mystery (regarding closers on classroom doors), but in the meantime, a couple of housekeeping issues...
Unequal Pairs
I've talked about this before, but the question still comes up almost weekly - "What's the code-compliant solution when replacing a pair of doors in a 5'-wide opening?"
Reader Photos
I'm in the mood to clean house (figuratively speaking only), so here's the latest collection of reader photos to hit my inbox. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to send them. More, please. :-)
Decoded: NFPA 72 on Access Control (December 2010)
This post was printed in the December 2010 issue of Doors and Hardware
The Bear Door
Last spring, one of my friends sent me a link for a "den-cam," where Lily the black bear was hibernating and eventually gave birth to her cub, Hope. There were over 20,000 people watching the den-cam for the big event. I was not one of them (although someday I would love to have enough leisure time to watch a den-cam), but I did become Facebook friends with Lily the Black Bear and the North American Bear Center.
The Rector Wanted it Quiet!
All the discussion about the unidentified piece of antique hardware reminded me to create a post about the invention of the door closer. Luckily, the story of the original LCN door closer was written down in approximately 1937, and I have reproduced it in this post. This story is near and dear to my heart, since the door closer was invented at Boston's Trinity Church, and I wrote the hardware spec for a large renovation there a few years back. The photo at right was taken about 10 years ago, and shows one of the original LCN closers at Trinity.
Antique Hardware Identification
[I added an update at the bottom of this post!]
A little help, please?
For several months I've been working on a short presentation for code officials about Fire & Egress door Assembly Inspection. I really HAVE been working on it, just not continuously. In my defense, it's really easy to get sidetracked when you get 100 emails per day. But there's one sure-fire way to get me focused, and that's to set a deadline. Not just a due date on my to-do list that I can change on a whim, but a real deadline with other people who will be waiting to see the results of my hard work.
Connections
When I started this blog, my goals were to organize all of the code information I had into a searchable database, and to offer a more painless way to learn about hardware. I think one of the hardest things about starting out in this industry is the way most of us learn about it - at the School of Hard Knocks. There are some great classes available through DHI and other sources, but it can take a very long time to attend them all, which gives us plenty of opportunities to make mistakes. I know I've made my fair share over the years, so I wanted to help people learn a little bit at a time and hopefully make it as painless as possible.
Exit? Really??
I received these photos from a fire inspector in Texas who shall remain nameless so he'll keep sending me the crazy stuff he sees in his travels. If you recall from earlier posts, an egress door has to look like a door, and can't be disguised in any way. This egress door is in a restaurant that seats 200-250, and the second photo is what the means of egress looks like after you go through the door. Nice.
Cocoanut Grove & Our Lady of the Angels
When I teach a code class, I often begin by talking about some of the tragic fires that have shaped today's codes. Because of the lessons learned from these fires and the code changes that resulted, the safety of building occupants has been greatly improved.