Because of some photos and videos making the rounds on social media, I’ve received quite a few emails about the use of murals to disguise doors in memory care units. A few years ago I wrote a blog post about this practice, which is allowed by NFPA 101-2015 under certain circumstances but is not allowed by NFPA 101-2012. I will cover the code aspect in a Decoded article (coming soon!), but meanwhile here are a couple of the social media posts:
What do you think? Do the benefits of these murals outweigh the risks? Have you seen any memory care exits disguised by murals?
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Looks like there is already a magnetic lock on the door. Why not turn off the delayed egress (if installed} and unlock on fire alarm only adding a key switch for local override?
The door can remain locked in this application if the staff have a key to over ride in non-fire emergencies.
We often do this in psychiatric wards or where infant abduction is a risk and in this situation for patient wandering under the current IBC codes.
I believe that an emergency exit door should look like a door and not confuse the staff.
I have done several of these where this was happening. I replaced the exit with a delayed egress unit with alarm, and it solved the problem.