I received this Fixed-it Friday photo from someone asking whether this application was code-compliant.  The short answer…no.

The egress door in the photo serves a school, and is equipped with mechanical panic hardware and an electromagnetic lock.  In order to exit, you must push the auxiliary switch on the wall to release the mag-lock, and then push on the panic hardware touchpad to retract the latch.

So what’s missing?  When you see a push-to-exit button on the wall, you should also see a sensor above the door to release the mag-lock automatically when someone approaches.  The auxiliary button must unlock the door for 30 seconds, independent of the other electronics.  The lock must also release upon activation of the fire alarm/sprinkler system and upon power failure.

The other option would be to have a switch in the panic hardware to release the mag-lock, but in that case the model codes do not require the push-to-exit button or fire alarm release (the mag-lock must still unlock upon power failure).  This whiteboard animation video covers the requirements for two types of systems – sensor release and door hardware release.

It is not intuitive for building occupants to press a button on the wall for egress.  During an active shooter situation at a mosque in New Zealand, victims did not know that they should push the button to open the door, and were unable to exit.  Also keep in mind that there is a change in the 2024 International Building Code (IBC) that prohibits the use of a sensor-release mag-lock on a door that is required to have panic hardware – click here for a code update.

Any questions?

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