I just realized that it’s been a long time since I took the kids somewhere and then annoyed them by taking photos of doors to share with y’all afterward.  I made up for the lapse yesterday and will have more photos for you on Thursday.

We just got back from NYC, where we were invited to visit the FDNY fire station for Engine 320 and Ladder 167 by the developer of the Cease Fire hinge, which I wrote about last fall.  The kids are working on a project to help reduce deaths in home fires, so it was a privilege to visit the station and get all of their questions answered.

I read an article in FIREHOUSE a few weeks ago about another FDNY firefighter, Adam Burlison, who received an award for rescues he made during a Manhattan apartment fire last year.  I wrote about that fire on iDigHardware, because it was allowed to spread when the apartment door was left open and resulted in the death of a resident in the stairwell.  The reported details of the rescue underscore the value of code-compliant fire doors:

He didn’t expect the stairwell above the fire floor to be charged with smoke and heat. Unfortunately, the occupant of the apartment where the fire started left the door to the hallway open and the smoke filled the hallway and traveled up the stairs. Burlison said conduit and wiring for Internet and other amenities prevented the stairwell doors from sealing completely which didn’t help either.

By the time he made it to the 30th floor, Burlison said he encountered a victim face down at the bottom of the stair landing covered in blood. The man was unresponsive and Burlison suspects he may have been overcome with smoke and fallen down the stairs hitting his head.

“I gave the transmission that I found a victim and needed some help,” Burlison said, adding that he pounded on the first door to the right of the hallway and told the occupant to go to the balcony.

Burlison dragged the victim into the apartment, seeking refuge from the smoke and heat in the hallway, and began CPR. Within two minutes, other personnel and medical units arrived to help and Burlison continued up the stairs to complete his mission to make it to the roof bulkhead.

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Allegion recently created an educational piece to help raise awareness of the inspection requirements for fire door assemblies.  I’d love your feedback on it, and would like to know if you’d find it useful or how you would change it.  I’m still working on the iDigHardware fire door page, so let me know what you think should be included there and I’ll add it!

Fire door inspections will lead to increased safety for building occupants, so I’m excited to see more enforcement of the requirements.  Has there been an increase in these inspections in your area? 

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