Decoded: Flush Bottom Rails
This post was printed in the April 2012 issue of Doors & Hardware
This post was printed in the April 2012 issue of Doors & Hardware
Sent in by Gary Goldberg of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies...this was so much easier than cutting a hole in the wall. :(
UPDATE: This application was discussed at length on the Building Codes Forum, so go check it out to see what the AHJs had to say. The final decision was that the door should have been a 20-minute door, even if the contents of the electric room did not require a higher rating. As a 20-minute door it should have been self-closing and self-latching.
These buildings were ALL OCCUPIED when these photos were taken. Depressing.
Last weekend we braved the crowds and took the kids to the South Boston St. Patrick's Day parade. The weather was AMAZING!!! And so was this gorgeous antique fire engine:
Last week I posted some photos of a pair of 20-minute doors with some "issues," and I want to thank everyone who left comments with their thoughts on the situation. Often, people tell me that they know something is required but aren't sure where to find it written, so I thought it would be good to follow up on what the issues were and why, as well as addressing some of the comments.
Last week I was teaching a class in a room with a pair of fire doors that had some issues. Anyone care to list some of them?
I was working on a different post but that one will have to wait. I just received these photos, it's Wordless Wednesday, and I am wordless (yes, again). This is an exit for a hockey rink, sent in by an anonymous reader. Hockey rinks are notoriously tough on their doors and hardware, but this "solution" makes me want to cry.
These ALL came from Jeff Tock, one of our national trainers who spends most weeks traveling around conducting classes and sees a lot of doors in the process. Jeff will be here in New England in a few weeks conducting the "Preparing for a Fire Door Inspection" class for facilities. If you work for a hospital, school, university, or other type of facility in the area and want to make sure that you're prepared, let me know and I'll put you on the invitation list.
Remember the old video of the various types of exit devices being run over by a fire truck? It's a classic, and I still get the urge to watch it every so often..."I am examining the [flattened] device. It is not working." You could make the case that a panic device doesn't need to withstand the weight of a fire truck, but I've seen some herds of kids run out of school at the end of the day that are almost as tough.
How about some reader photos to ease you into the weekend? :D
Some more doors from our winter vacation...Saint Francis Xavier Church, also known as "The Kennedy Church" because it was the summer parish of John F. Kennedy as well as many of the other Kennedys.
This post was printed in the March 2012 issue of Doors & Hardware
With 3 young kids in school and spending a fair amount of time in school buildings, school shootings hit very close to home for me. The most recent shootings in Chardon, Ohio resulting in the death of 3 students are just so senseless and tragic. The raw pain of the victims' parents is excruciating to watch.