Some days I just want to give up on reading the news. Fox 17 News in Nashville posted this news report recently, and I’m wordless. –>
I’m sure some of you will remember what happened in Tennessee – I wrote about it in this post. First, the Tennessee State Fire Marshal enforced the adopted fire code to have barricaded doors in schools brought back into compliance (there’s a good news report here). Then, a sheriff in Tennessee raised money for barricade devices for a school district, even though they were not compliant with the state codes. Finally, the requirements for free egress in Tennessee were quietly changed, to allow the sheriff’s barricade devices.
The gist of the recent story is that classroom barricade devices protected the lives of students during the shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan, therefore, all schools in Tennessee should have barricade devices too. In reality, we don’t know whether the barricade devices at the high school in Michigan played a part in preventing the shooter from accessing the classrooms, as a detailed report has not yet been released. Now Michigan legislators are proposing a change to the state law, in order to allow barricade devices to be used on egress doors serving assembly spaces in schools – cafeterias, gymnasiums, auditoriums, libraries, etc.
We need to continue to educate school administrators, teachers, parents, students, law enforcement, and code officials on the importance of a balance of school security AND safety. I’m afraid of the outcome of this positive media focus on retrofit devices that may deter egress during an emergency, as well as access by emergency responders.
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This is pretty disheartening, especially the part in the article that made the fire marshall sound like a careless bureaucrat that doesn’t care about the safety of children. Has anyone tried reaching out to the news station to at least give them a coherent explanation of the dangers of using barricade devices?
Hi Jon –
John Truempy shared the reporter’s contact page. Here is his email address: dpferrier@sbgtv.com.
– Lori
Thanks, Lori!
I have an email (it was both polite and professional) out to him, lets see if he responds.
Here is the reporters contact page we should all tell him why https://fox17.com/station/people/dennis-ferrier
For what it is worth, and hopefully for some good it might do, below is the message I sent. I also copied Sheriff Weems with the best email address I could find for him.
Mr. Ferrier,
As a safety professional with well over forty years of experience it was a bit disheartening from a professional perspective to watch your recent segment promoting barricade devices for school doors. In the interest of fair, balanced journalism I am certain over the course of your long journalism career you have come across disagreeing opinions more than just a few times. Clearly, there is an opposing view and it is held by thousands of highly educated and experienced professionals across the country who vehemently disagree with Sheriff Weems views. It would behoove you to provide your viewership with equal access to the opposing view along with the science and rationale behind why Sheriff Weems’s views are so terribly wrong, shortsighted, and dangerous. The real tragedy underscoring your news segment is Sheriff Weems lack of objectivity is continuing to allow the very school children he thinks he is protecting to be left exposed and in harm’s way.
In the wake of deadly school shootings across the country there has been wave after wave of knee jerk reactions all seeking a silver bullet to solve the perceived immediate problem. In fact, there are dozens of different types of door barricade devices that have been fabricated by a number of, no doubt, well-meaning individuals with the very best of intentions. Unfortunately, nearly every one of these devices, while potentially solving one problem unwittingly create additional other problems which Sheriff Weems and others are loath to admit or candidly discuss. Simply put, it is unconscionable for anyone to attempt to design any type of barricade device without full knowledge, understanding, and consideration of all risks and safety factors that must be designed into how a device will function over its useful life including normal daily operations, emergency situations, conditions under which the device might be broken, damaged, or even missing, as well as how the device might be abused, misused, or even used as a weapon itself. Considering his security expertise, perhaps, and in full disclosure, Sheriff Weems would like to provide your viewership and especially parents of school children with a future segment to discuss all of the known methods and opportunities by which these types of door barricade device can fail along with how they have been or could be misused or abused for a variety of criminal conduct including assault, rape, or even murder.
Whenever the safety and security of our school children is at stake all parents want what is best for their children and the best possible solutions that will keep all of our children safe under the widest range of hostile or dangerous scenarios while they are at school. There are well known door solutions that provide better protection to students and teachers without compromising either security or safety and which are vastly superior to door barricade devices. These solutions have been carefully and thoughtfully developed by highly trained professionals with years of experience to comply with security concerns, fire and life safety concerns, and with building and fire codes. There are a multitude of factors that are carefully considered before a door barricade device is determined to comply with or not comply with applicable codes and standards. This is not nor has it ever been a situation of building or fire codes being out of date or out of touch. Please, reach out to any or all of the national building and fire codes and they will all confirm the constant and high level of activity within their code bodies to ensure their code(s) continue to provide for the highest level of security and safety for school children despite the constant and escalating threats posed in many communities. And please also know all of the national building and fire codes are developed, written, revised, and updated using the democratic principles, processes, and methods long established by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
Regards,
LarryG.
Thanks Larry!
– Lori
Fingers crossed!
– Lori