Monthly Archives: June 2011

Doors in Pockets (not Pocket Doors)

Every time I specify hardware for a door that swings into a pocket, a little alarm sounds in my head because at least 50% of the time there will be a problem that urgently needs to be fixed at the end of the job.  This application requires coordination between the architect designing the pocket, the contractor building the pocket, and the distributor supplying the doors and hardware, and that's a lot harder than it sounds.  The other problem is that when one pair on a project goes south, in most cases ALL of the pairs are a problem.

By |2013-12-04T23:51:34-05:00June 23rd, 2011|Door Closers, Doors & Frames, Fire Doors|7 Comments

Hotel Vendome Fire, Boston

Today is the 39th anniversary of the fire at the Hotel Vendome, in which 9 firefighters lost their lives when the building unexpectedly collapsed during mop-up operations.  Stephanie Schorow, author of 4 books about Boston, spoke about the Hotel Vendome fire, the Cocoanut Grove fire, and the Great Boston Fire of 1872 in this video made in conjunction with the NFPA.  There was also an article in the May/June 2011 issue of the NFPA Journal - "The Boston Fire Trail - A walkable guide to the city's fire and disaster history." 

By |2016-05-18T09:18:56-04:00June 17th, 2011|Fire Doors, Means of Egress, Videos|2 Comments

E.R. Butler & Co.

I've been in the door and hardware business for a long time - almost 25 years.  While I'm still passionate about the products, the industry, and our customers, there are some days when I'm not quite as excited as I once was.  It's kind of like the old, "I love you but I'm not in love with you," line.  I'm sure you can relate...we all have those days.

By |2012-01-27T21:57:31-05:00June 16th, 2011|Beautiful Doors, Hinges & Pivots, Locks & Keys|3 Comments

Door to Nowhere

This photo of a door in a city hall came from another blog, A Firefighter's Own Worst Enemy.  The blog is written by Jason Hoevelmann, a Deputy Fire Chief / Fire Marshal with the Sullivan Protection District.  Jason and the firefighters who frequent his site have a totally different perspective on doors than we do, but it's really interesting to read.  Firefighters need to be able to get through a door during a fire, and do it safely.  Imagine a firefighter with limited visibility forcing this door open from the other side.  The results could be tragic.

By |2012-01-27T21:58:09-05:00June 14th, 2011|Fire Doors|1 Comment

Rainy Relay

<---  You know what that's a photo of???  Rain - torrential rain, at our Relay for Life event this weekend.  It rained on and off for most of the relay, but it was REALLY bad at night.  Even the die-hard high school kids in the campsite next to ours ended up sleeping in a friend's living room (all 24 of them!!).  Because we didn't sleep overnight in our soaking wet tent, there were a couple of hours that we didn't have someone walking the track, but I think we had people walking for more hours than any other team.  There were several hours that our team was almost alone on the track.  Yes, we're crazy!  :-)

By |2013-03-01T11:16:59-05:00June 12th, 2011|Means of Egress, Panic Hardware|4 Comments

Relay for Life

Update:  Relay for Life is tomorrow, so if you would like to make a donation, today's the day!  Luminarias in honor, memory, or support of a loved one are available for $10 by following the link below.  I'm a little over $100 away from my goal.  I appreciate your help!

By |2013-02-13T18:52:04-05:00June 10th, 2011|General Info|3 Comments

Construction Specifier Article

I was pleasantly surprised to open my June issue of the Construction Specifier this morning, and find an article called "Architectural Hardware Specifications," by Joseph D. Calvert, CSI, CDT, AHC of Calvert Independent Hardware Specifications.  The article does a great job of explaining the value of an AHC.  Joe describes the coordination that we manage between various trades, the complex hardware sets and riser diagrams that we produce for openings with electrified hardware, and the detailed analysis that we perform when creating the hardware sets and reviewing the submittal - including the required function, durability, codes, and aesthetic requirements.

By |2012-01-27T21:58:09-05:00June 6th, 2011|General Info|7 Comments

WWYD? – Pediatric Unit Egress Doors

Last week I posted a photo of a deadlock on a pair with panic hardware, and I included a poll to find out what you all thought should be done about the problem.  I received some photos yesterday that gave me the idea to make this a regular feature of the blog - "What Would You Do?" (WWYD). Check out the photos, the code excerpts, and scroll all the way down to vote in the poll.

By |2014-10-09T18:51:38-04:00June 3rd, 2011|Means of Egress, WWYD?|4 Comments
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