QQ: Hinges for Fire Door Assemblies
Quick Question: Are steel, ball-bearing, butt hinges for fire door assemblies required to be UL listed?
FF: Mama Mia
I saw this last night at a local hang-out called Mama Mia, and I thought of y'all. Happy Fixed-it Friday!
Decoded: Signage for Automatic Doors
My next article for Door Security + Safety Magazine addresses the signage required for automatic doors. It will appear in the April edition.
WW: Rocky Mountain Mercantile
The horizontal bars on this "emergency exit" are padlocked to hasps welded to the door - likely to prevent theft - AND EGRESS!
Do you sleep with the door closed? Your life could depend on it.
As long as there are still people who haven't heard this message, I'm going to keep sharing it.
WWYD? Deadbolt + Mag-Lock
Is it code-compliant to add a deadbolt to a door with a mag-lock, that can be used to lock the door during a power failure?
FF: Double-Sponge Door Stop
Yes, you are looking at two kitchen sponges wrapped in a washcloth. Whatever works - Happy Fixed-it Friday!
MSD Public Safety Commission Report
We must continue to learn from this research, to help avoid or reduce the effects of future active-shooter incidents. Please invest some time today, in memory of the MSDHS victims.
My Appreciation
I will get back on track with doors and hardware tomorrow, but today I want to give thanks. First, a little story that might initially sound strange, but does have a point...
My Apologies
It may be a few days until I publish a new post...I appreciate your patience.
FF: Electric Strike Mismatch
This one is a real head-scratcher. How did this happen, AND what's the card reader for? #hardwaremysteries
Lead-Lined Closer Covers
What do you know about lead-lined doors, frame, and hardware? Here's one little tidbit, but I'd appreciate it if you would share your insight!
WW: Wordless
I have spent two days trying to figure out what to write in this post. I'm still thinking.
Maintained vs. Momentary Switches
Maintained and momentary switches are both used with electrified hardware - do you know when to specify or install each type?
QQ: Extended Latch Guards
A follow-up to an earlier post...Can extended latch guards be installed to bring doors with surface vertical rods into compliance with the accessibility standards?
FF: Southeast Asia Airport
A knob, lever, AND a mag-lock? And what's with the stainless plates? Are they covering old vision lights or do you think they were "original equipment"?
WWYD? NFPA 80/105 Updates
It's almost time to submit change proposals for NFPA 80 and NFPA 105 - tell me what's on your wish list and I'll see what I can do to help!
WW: Take a Closer Look
Sometimes door problems are not evident until you take a closer look. I wonder how many people have walked past these doors and never noticed...
QQ: Monitored or Recorded Egress
Quick Question: Is it code-compliant for a card reader on the egress side of the door to be used to monitor who uses the door?
Enforcement of 5-Pound Operable Force Limit
Heads up - the 5-pound force limit on operable hardware is something everyone should be aware of long before the final inspection by the AHJ.
FF: Rim Strike
There is actually a strike designed for this purpose, but without job-site creativity I wouldn't have any posts for Fixed-it Friday.
Michele Gay on Classroom Security
This video from Michele Gay of Safe and Sound Schools is a great tool for educating parents, teachers, and school administrators about school security and safety. Share it!
WW: Delayed Egress Retrofit
Joe Fazio of Precision Doors & Hardware sent me today's Wordless Wednesday photo. I don't know what to say. How about you?
NFPA 3000 Webinar – Archived Recording
One part of this webinar that got my attention was the EMS perspective on how a delay in accessing the classroom could affect the medical outcome. The archived webinar is linked in this post.
WWYD? Classroom Exit Alarm
I really need your expertise on this one...talk to me about exit alarms to deter the use of classroom doors, or to at least notify the teacher that someone has opened the door.
FF: Door Holder
Thanks to Kelly Reese of Allegion for today's Fixed-it Friday photo! Hopefully this isn't a fire door!
Decoded: Crossword Puzzle – Part 2 (March 2019)
A couple of weeks ago I posted Part 1 of my new Decoded crossword puzzle...here's Part 2! I would appreciate any feedback before the March issue of Door Security + Safety goes to print.
WW: Moose & Squirrel
Animals + automatic doors...what could be better on a Wordless Wednesday? Ok - I can think of a few things that might be better, but check these out anyway...
NFPA Journal: Mind the Gap
To bring more clarity, the Fire Protection Research Foundation has begun work on a full-scale fire test on fire doors with varying gaps between the door and frame.
DSSF – NFPA 3000 Webinar
Training alert! On January 16th the DSSF will host a webinar on NFPA 3000 - Standard for Active Shooter / Hostile Event Response (ASHER), presented by John Montes of NFPA.
FF: Restaurant Ingenuity
Sometimes when I see these creative solutions it seems like it would have been easier to use something that has already been invented, but I guess that would take all of the fun out of it.
Errata to ICC A117.1-2017
Before you get excited about the maneuvering clearance change in the 2017 edition of A117.1, check the errata document. Or maybe I'm the only one who gets excited about that stuff...
WW: Classroom Egress
Andrew Harris of Willis Klein sent me today's Wordless Wednesday photo, and it's disheartening. This is the exterior door of a middle school classroom with one or more students who have special needs.
Decoded: Crossword Puzzle – Part 1 (February 2019)
If you remember my last Decoded crossword puzzle you may find it hard to believe that I created it 4 years ago! Let's see if you've been paying attention!
Escape Room Tragedy
When we think about code-compliance, it's not just about lines on a page in a book. It's about reducing the risk of tragedies like this one.
FF: Top Jamb Closer
This is why I prefer parallel arm door closers over top jamb or regular arm.
QQ: Field Painted Panic Hardware
Can panic hardware be painted in the field without voiding the label?
WW: Fire Hose Security, Revisited
As I've said before...as a last resort anything goes, but THIS SHOULD NOT BE PLAN A! Do you agree or disagree?
Happy Holidays!
Thank you for being part of the iDigHardware community - in total, iDH readers have spent more than 12,500 hours reading the content on the website in 2018. That's amazing!
FF: Fight Your Way Out
This Fixed-it Friday photo is of an egress door serving a martial arts studio. It's a good thing the students have special skills they can use in an emergency.
Final Report of the Federal Commission on School Safety
Some thoughts about the newly-released federal report, and some of the documents that are referenced in the report...have you read it yet?
WW: What’s Wrong?
Eric Laidlaw of Jensen Hughes sent me these Wordless Wednesday photos...I'd love to hear your theories/analyses of what's going on with this opening.
Etched Labels – UL 305 / UL 10C
On numerous occasions I've gotten the call - a painter/cleaner/mischievous kid peeled the UL label off of the panic hardware or fire exit hardware.
Campus Safety Takes Stand Against Non-Code-Compliant Door Barricades
Campus Safety will no longer accept ads or sponsorships from companies whose door barricades don’t comply with ADA and NFPA codes.
FF: Sobriety Test
So many people sent me this Fixed-it Friday photo from Reddit (thanks to all!) that I knew the rest of you would want to see it too. BTW...this is clever, but not code-compliant!
More on GWB Penetration – Fire-Rated Frames
Have you ever run into a situation where a piece of hardware or a mortar box in a fire-rated frame prevented the GWB from penetrating 1/2-inch into the frame, as required by NFPA 80?
WW: Door is Broken
The sad thing about situations like this is that they often stay as-is for YEARS. In this particular case, the sign appears to be laminated or in a plastic sheet protector.
PASS Guidelines – 4th Edition
The Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS) has released the fourth edition of its Safety and Security Guidelines for K-12 Schools - visit PASSK12.org to download the guidelines!
Decoded: Potential Automatic Operator Changes (January 2019)
We could soon see a code change that would require automatic operators for public entrances. Here's the current status.
FF: Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign
For everyone who has asked, I'm feeling quite a bit better - thanks! The cough is still lingering a bit, but hopefully it will clear up before I head to Carmel next week.