Here’s a tough one…
The fire marshal wants panic hardware (a panic on one leaf may suffice).
The facility wants access control.
What would you do? Please leave a comment if you have any ideas.
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Photos submitted by Sharon Ashton of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies.
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Do both sides need to open?
I’m not sure but it would help if one could be fixed.
Access control with touch bar instead of push button, and a guard so cannot be opened from the outside??
We’ve got lots of exterior gates w/ p.h. here in SoCal. Typically they’re fabbed w/ 4″-square (or larger) tube steel jamb posts and no header, and 2″-square steel tube stile & rail gates with with varying designs of pickets & mesh as grillwork/filler. I’ll hang these on Brookfield i8510-series hinges, and presuming one leaf suffices for p.h. egress, I’ll use a padlockable cane bolt on the inactive leaf and latch the active leaf’s rim panic device into the inactive leaf. If we need both leafs w/ panic hardware, I’ll have the architect design a 40″ high (minimum) removable bollard piece to serve as an exit device mullion, or sink a panic hardware mullion into a steel tube socket and padlock it in place. Not too difficult to squirrel power into the gate w/ tube steel construction via a thru-wire hinge. Closing devices are problematic if gate is shorter than 7’2″h, especially if the gate needs to swing >180deg. If 7’2″ or higher, then an LCN 4011 on a bracket welded to the jamb post (I call it a “flag bracket”) using corner bracket type mounting works great.
Hope that helps — thanks for all you do!
TB
Just take out a 3′ section of that wet seal and add a touch sense bar to unlock the GL1.
If they are being real tough make the GL1 fail safe and use the bar to cut power.
Does a touch sense bar meet the requirements for panic hardware (UL 305)?
Do they want access control for exit, entrance, or both?
Just access. Free egress via the panic.
Well that makes things interesting. You will always be able to reach through the gate from the pull side and depress the touch bar on the exit device.
That’s one of the complications.
One might argue that 1.3 in UL305 says it does although not specifically tested.
You could also go with a EL rim device with a double door strike.
The reason I asked is because one of our specwriters had trouble with a fire marshal because he had a touch sense bar where panic hardware was required, and there’s a sticker on the touch sense bar that says it’s not panic hardware. What we need is a panic with no latch, with an RX switch to release the mag. I’ve asked Engineering for some ideas…I know how to make that happen but I don’t want to do anything that would be a problem with UL.
For any type of panic to be used, the gate will almost have to be remade. Sure you can add some expanded metal or something similar, but it will not be aesthetically pleasing.
As mentioned above, Securitron makes a good electrified gate latch, the GL1, installed for fail safe operation with a latch bolt monitor to facilitate a prop alarm.
I would recommend using a motion sensor on the inside that can be mounted far enough back so that someone could not set it off from the outside. You would have your 1 motion egress of pushing the gate.
Of course an emergency push button would also be required on the inside. I would think this would satisfy the needed panic and still leave the gate pretty much intact, with the exception of a post to mount the latch onto.
Detex has electrical/alarmed options on their weatherized exit devices for use on outdoor environment.
Lori…
I have never run in the UL305 question and I do think based on the verbiage in 1.3 of that standard plus a UL294 listing I might be ok but I do see your point.
Would you use the bar
1) To send RX to ACP
2) Directly cut power
2a) Obviously then requiring it to be fail safe.
Then the age old question, if it is fail safe is it allowed to be tied to the battery backup.
Consider using an exit device with an electrified trim. Cover the inside of the gate with a wire mesh to reduced reaching through and pressing the exit device push pad.
After reviewing the pictures a little more I’m not sure that any access control is going to be a serious deterrent. A determined individual can just climb up the fence to the left or right of the swinging gate and be over it in a second. The opening is going to require a new gate or some serious modification, ie addition of expanded metal/mesh to the opening, to meet both security and free egress requirements.
I guess that’s a good indication of how secure we need to be here…we’re just keeping honest people honest. How about fixing the inactive leaf with a lockable cane bolt, attaching a panel to one or both gates, and using an electric latch retraction rim panic? If there is concern about someone defeating the latchbolt, a gate mag-lock could be used in addition, and released by an RX switch in the panic. This scenario would be in compliance with the Electromagnetically Locked Egress Doors section of the IBC. If someone actuating the panic’s touchpad from the exterior is an issue, the panel could be designed to minimize that. There are more complicated electronic ways of trying to avoid that, but with the possibility of someone climbing over, we probably don’t need to go there.
Agreed. Cane bolt, panel on both leaves to make them appear similar. An EL exit only rim device would be more suitable with a gate as you wouldn’t have to worry about making the E trim work on a gate thickness of less than 1 3/4″. You could just use pull by others or just grasp the gate itself. The credential would have to activate the EL and release the maglock to gain entry. Egress by depressing touchpad thereby depressing the RX switch to deactivate the maglock.
Sounds like a plan!
Do you know what type of occupancy/business this is???
I don’t, but I’m guessing Assembly or Educational since the FM is looking for panics.
That’s a classic! Any mechanical device is going to be easily operable from outside – unless the entire gate opening is shuttered/boarded which will ruin the aesthetics. Without knowing the building layout I’d try and find another exit route.
I agree…I’m not sure there’s another option, but it’s a good suggestion.
You find the best/worst problems.
I see nothing which does not require some welding ‘surgery’ to the gates. The side panels really need verticals to match the gates and give them comparable difficulty to climb over. You can not candy cane them as they would hit those on the gates as they open. In fact, it looks like the existing canes may be hitting the stonework. The outside of the four sections need a mesh welded on to limit fishing with wires yet still maintain some light so you can see people on the other side. The mesh could be smaller near the exit device and space out away from it. All this will change the look but if done well not degrade it. Painting must follow the welding. Any comments on the final look should ask how good that wiring looks now.
I like the EL hardware ideas. Battery backup is good idea but set up with the UL power supply and it will get cut off by an active fire alarm just like AC power.
Thanks Martin! A lot of the problems find me…feel free to send me some for public comment if you run across anything unusual. 🙂
Simple use a 2x jpm9000 2 point with bar blocking, then put the request to exit pir (eagle1) to unlock the bar blocking as you approach the bar, on access use the motor aspect of the bar, it will take some fabrication. Make sure the bar runs the length of the gate for aesthetics, the bar is red and black.
blasted gump architects.. form over function.
🙂