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I've compiled some of the code resources I currently use, in hopes that some of them might be helpful to you. If there are other websites that you visit for code information, please leave a comment and I'll add them to the list.
This grocery store's manager stated that the justification for this closed exit was that people were walking out of these doors without paying for their merchandise. I have my own thoughts about this situation, but I'm wondering...WWYD?
Since I started this blog I've often thought how great it would be if JQP (John Q Public) knew the basic requirements of fire and egress doors. What if everyone who saw a locked egress door or a propped-open fire door had a way to change the situation? Imagine the effect this could have on life safety! In my imaginary world, I think of these informed people as door minions, except instead of serving an evil SuperVillian, they're helping to save the world. OK, it might be a stretch, but I saw this article the other day, giving me hope that there ARE door minions out there...
One year ago today I wrote the first post on this blog, regarding panic hardware on electric rooms. I don't remember why I chose that topic for my first post, but I tried to post answers to some of the most commonly asked questions before I introduced the site to anyone. Since then I have published 217 posts!
I think online learning is here to stay. Which doesn't mean that we'll never see each other in person again, but there's a lot we can learn in the meantime.
Do you know who Carl Prinzler was? Does the name ring a bell? Carl worked in the door hardware industry back in the early 20th century, and was instrumental in developing the first exit device along with his employer, Vonnegut Hardware Company and his neighbor, Henry DuPont. Recently Peter Wilson of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies came across a poem by Misha Burnett called The Ballad of Carl Prinzler, and sent me the link. I couldn't imagine who (besides me) would write a poem about Carl Prinzler, so I emailed Misha. He is a university locksmith and while taking a poetry class he also attended a Von Duprin training class and learned about the invention of the first panic hardware after the tragic fire at the Iroquois Theater, which inspired him to write the Ballad of Carl Prinzler.
In the next episode of Paul Timm's podcast, he talks with Antoinette King of Regional Sales East, author of the Digital Citizens Guide to Cybersecurity and founder of Credo Cyber Consulting.
My plan for harnessing the power of the Earth's population to identify and respond to code problems is working! This antique store must have some REALLY valuable antiques in it, but it's ok because someone has Fixed-It...
Today's Wordless Wednesday photos came from an anonymous fire inspector pal of mine. This is very common in retail stores - the merchandise displays creep in and encroach upon the egress route, or inhibit the operation of fire doors...
Charles Anderson sent me this photo of a horizontal sliding door he found on a marked exit in an antique store. So...is it code-compliant?
I'm pretty sure I asked for a PAIR of boots for Christmas, but Santa must have misunderstood. I ended up with one walking boot after falling off of running fountain while trying to take the perfect photo of a door for y'all. OK...actually I stepped off a little lip in a walkway while checking into our hotel in the dark and did some ligament damage. We won't know the extent of the damage until the swelling goes down. BUT - I did get a photo.
I have read this first article several times and asked my codey friends for their thoughts. None of us could come up with any national building code requirement for a closer on a non-fire-rated exterior door. But then again...I try to avoid arguing with a building official. What say you?
Georgia school shooting: A hero emerges - Christian Science Monitor
I'm really starting to think that between photos from readers and the way the internet connects me to the world, I could just stay in my house and still have plenty of doors to write about. I'm currently at our "camp" which depending on where you are in the country could be defined as a cottage, lake house, summer home, etc. I usually call it our shack in the woods, because it's tiny, it needs work, and it's in the woods. Anyway, you get the picture.
It’s time. Today.
I previously posted Part 1 and Part 2 of this article, and here is the third and final segment.
In a few weeks I will be teaching my Decoded online course again, this time on behalf of the Center for Campus Fire Safety. The Decoded course is a 4-class series on code requirements applicable to doors and hardware, and is based on the following codes and standards...
My next online Decoded class will be held on Wednesday, January 21st from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Eastern. This is the third class in the series of 4 presented on behalf of the Door & Hardware Institute, and I will cover the requirements for life safety and egress...
Yes, it's Week 23. So if you're feeling a little webinar-ed out, that's probably why. I get it - I've been in the house for 133 days with only brief trips out for errands...
In addition to the blocked egress path, I see a security bar with a padlock and hasp, the original lockset, and an exit alarm, presumably requiring at least 3 operations to unlatch the door. And possibly a key. And a detailed map to find your way to the door...
This is the rear exit of a liquor store. Although the store was closed when this photo was taken, on the other side of the door there is an exit sign, panic hardware, a surface bolt, and a padlock. This type of retrofit is common when additional security is needed, but it is NOT code-compliant...
Yes, this is a fire door, and yes, the bollard is permanently bolted in place.
This article was published in the January 2015 issue of Locksmith Ledger.
In the past 10+ years, I have been blessed to meet many people who share the mission of school security and safety, including Paul Timm of Allegion and Michele Gay of Safe and Sound Schools. Hear from Paul and Michele on the first episode of this new podcast.
It's our responsibility to study past tragedies in hopes of improving future outcomes. In the second episode of Paul Timm's podcast - The Changing Face of School Security, he talks with Guy Bliesner about the shooting that occurred at Rigby Middle School.
We were on a mini-vacation earlier in the week, which is my excuse for forgetting two things. First, my pal Zeke Wolfskehl is in search of some research that I remember hearing about but have never been able to find documentation for. Maybe it's an urban legend, but I know that I heard/read somewhere that a pair of doors with a mullion allows more efficient egress than a pair of doors without a mullion. Do any of you remember where that was written? I need a lead to pursue.
Open fire door killed 2 at Mont Blanc - The Free Press Journal
When I stopped for a snack yesterday, I didn't expect to be called into service on a defective door that was threatening to crush someone while simultaneously preventing egress. The fun never stops...
Should the model codes be modified to require immediate egress through doors with delayed egress locks during emergencies other than fires?
