When an emergency arises at a school or other type of facility, it’s crucial for emergency responders to know where they need to go rather than wasting precious time searching for the problem. One important key to more efficient communication and response is the numbering of all exterior doors serving the building or campus.
Periodic door inspections are becoming more common on school campuses, and this is another reason for clear door numbering. In Texas, exterior doors are subject to the state-mandated Exterior Door Safety Audit. Ohio’s Childhood Safety Act requires “protective door assemblies” to be inspected annually. (If similar inspections are being conducted in your jurisdiction, please leave a comment!)
Consistency is important – are the numbers assigned in a clockwise or counterclockwise order? Are all exterior doors numbered, or only the main and secondary entrances and exits? What happens when a renovation changes the floor plan?
I recently received a very clear and concise guide from DOORCHECK, and I’m sharing it here with their permission. Take a look, and let us know what you think!
Access the K-12 Exterior Door Labeling Guide here.
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This is something very good that we preach, do they also say the doors should be numbered on both sides? My only issue is that they did not involve the Fire Company Incident Command System numbering system. Sides of buildings are numbered with letters A side being the front and then proceeding clockwise. To be fully aware and follow what the Fire Companies are doing they should prefix the door number with the side Letter for the Fire Company. Numbers in the incident command system for Fire Companies represent the different floors, also called divisions.