The National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM) is an organization comprised of the most senior fire officials in the US.  NASFM’s mission is two-fold:  a) to protect human life, property, and the environment from fire, and b) to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the State Fire Marshal’s operations.

For at least a decade, school security has been one of the key focus areas of NASFM, as methods used to secure classroom doors are required to provide for life safety as well.  The organization conducted a survey back in 2015, asking members about the use of classroom barricade devices in their jurisdictions, as well as proposed or adopted state legislation applicable to classroom doors that “circumvents/ignores the adopted Fire Codes.”

Shortly after the survey results were published, NASFM released a guidance document on classroom security and a board resolution affirming their position.  This guidance was recently updated, due to a change in one set of model codes – those of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).  Note that the other set of model codes commonly used in the US – the I-Codes – does not include this change.

The change addressed by NASFM’s update is related to the number of releasing motions permitted to unlatch a door for egress.  In almost all applications, doors in a means of egress are required to unlatch with one releasing motion – for example, turning a lever or pushing the touchpad of a panic device.  This ensures that securing the doors against unauthorized access does not negatively impact building occupants’ ability to exit.

In some jurisdictions, adoption of NFPA 101 – Life Safety Code (2018 edition or later), allows a second non-simultaneous releasing motion for classroom doors in existing educational occupancies.  This would allow school districts to add a separate deadbolt to existing classroom doors, if NFPA 101 was adopted in the jurisdiction and if all other requirements of the Life Safety Code were met.  In jurisdictions where either the International Building Code (IBC) or International Fire Code (IFC) have been adopted, these model codes would require classroom doors to unlatch with one releasing motion instead of two.

You can read the updated NASFM white paper on their website, and/or refer to this recent Decoded article for more information about classroom security, including a checklist to help determine code compliance.

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