Fire Door Clearances – Webinar Notes
The other day I posted a video of a webinar about the clearances around fire doors and the effects of those clearances on the performance of the assembly...
WW: Furniture Store
I know of several fires where the fire door protected the store from a fire in the warehouse; the doors in this photo won't be providing any protection whatsoever...
NFPA Webinar: Influence of gap size around swinging doors on fire and smoke development
NFPA recently posted the video of a webinar that answers some questions about clearances around fire door and smoke door assemblies...
Take care of each other.
For weeks, it feels like I've been waking up to bad news. Earthquakes, floods, fires, now yet another mass shooting...
FF: Fork Fix
Jeff Dunham of BEA sent me today's Fixed-it Friday photos. While this fire door looks pretty good at first glance, a closer look reveals someone's creative and inexpensive method of keeping the latch retracted...
QQ: More on Stairwell Reentry
The questions about stairwell reentry never seem to end. I think it's time to work on some code development proposals to add some clarity...
WW: Emergency Escape Chute
This video made the rounds on social media last week. I will refrain from commenting since it is Wordless Wednesday...
WWYD? Fire Door Safety Week
A couple of years ago, someone called me during the UK's Fire Door Safety Week. I remember it clearly because not too many people call me these days...
Fire Door Video
It's Fire Door Safety Week in the UK, and although we don't have an official week dedicated to fire doors in the US, I'm going to share some of the great information from the UK...
FF: Find Another Exit
Today's Fixed-it Friday photos are from Leo Lebovits at M&D Door & Hardware. Someone had the forethought to remove the exit sign...I wonder if this was approved by the AHJ...
Mexico City Road Trip
By now you have likely heard about the earthquake that caused property damage, injuries, and deaths in Mexico City and the state of Puebla on Tuesday. This one followed on the heels of another earthquake about a week and a half before, near the border of Mexico and Guatemala. I am fine and we didn't feel a thing, although it shook me up a bit to receive bits and pieces of the news from friends as I was trying to do a code update via webinar.
WW: How You Can Help Spot Fire Hazards
I was so excited to see this video from the Texas State Fire Marshal's office talking about egress and fire hazards, but I noticed a little problem with one of the doors. Can you find it?
H.R.620 – ADA Education and Reform Act of 2017
In January of this year, a bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representative Ted Poe of Texas. On September 7th, the House Judiciary Committee voted to advance this bill - H.R. 620...
23 Fatalities in Malaysia Dormitory Fire
Security bars or grilles are common on windows in many developing countries and in other areas where security is a major concern...
FF: Seriously Specific Signage
This makes me wonder what incident prompted the need to control which leaf is used for entrance/egress - especially on full-glass doors...
Fire Door Latching
In order for a fire door assembly to perform as designed and tested, it's critical for the door to be closed and latched if/when a fire occurs...
WW: Hinge-Hasp
Thank you to Curtis Meskus for these Wordless Wednesday photos. This pair leads to a storage room in a motel. I have a feeling these will show up in one of my nightmares sometime soon.
LockDontBlock.org
Have you seen the new website from the Door Security & Safety Foundation - LockDontBlock.org?
Duck Test
This morning I was reading an article about an exit problem at the Mineta San Jose International Airport in California...
FF: Hospital Door
What led to this "fix"? Any theories?
Decoded: Fire Door Assembly Classifications
NFPA 80 – Standard for Fire Doors and Other Opening Protectives, classifies openings protected by fire door assemblies in one of five categories...
WW: What is this?
Derrick Riding sent me today's Wordless Wednesday photo of a hold-open device on a fire door (note the painted label)...
Upcoming AIA-Approved Webinar
On Thursday, September 14th, Allegion will be offering a free 1-hour webinar on access control hardware - at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Eastern.
FF: NFPA 101-2018 on Classroom Security
This post has a lot going on. First, since it's Fixed-it Friday and I don't want to disappoint anyone, here's a photo from Bill Stock of Johnson Hardware...
State Code Resources
There are a couple of great resources for finding out more information about the state code requirements as well as the model codes and referenced standards.
WW: Rope and Cleat System
I give up. Not really. I will never give up.
ID Please
An iDigHardware reader needs your help identifying this lock! Any ideas?
QQ: Door Pull Clearance
I answered this question a couple of years ago as part of a longer post, but people continue to ask so here goes... "How much clearance do the accessibility standards require behind a door pull?"
FF: Guatemalan Style
Wrapping up my summer road trip through Guatemala, here are a few Fixed-it Friday photos - and a question.
WWYD? Measuring Clearance
I was contacted last week by a door and hardware distributor who has provided fire door assemblies with hollow metal frames and wood doors on a hospital project...
WW: Who needs electrical codes??
Continuing with the Guatemalan theme (until tomorrow when I have a fire door question for you), I encountered this in a public restroom...
Guatemala and Beyond…
As I promised yesterday, here are a few doors from my recent trip to Guatemala. We saw so many amazing doors - big ones, small ones, ornate doors and utilitarian doors, lots of wicket doors, cool door knockers and other hardware...
¡Muchisimas Gracias! Thank You!
You may or may not have noticed, I have been on vacation with my kids in Guatemala for the last 2 weeks. I wrote all of my blog posts and articles before I left...
FF: Lockout
This is not the intended use of this device. Anyone know what it's for?
WWYD? Posted Occupant Load
Have you ever noticed a sign stating the maximum occupant load of a room? How about a sign stating that the maximum occupant load is 49 people? I've seen several signs stating the 49-person limit, and I recently received a question that made me ponder this...
WW: Emergency Exit
I. Have. No. Words.
QQ: Push ‘N Go For Automatic Operators
In yesterday's post, I wrote about power-assist operators to clarify that these are not the same as low-energy automatic operators. This 2-part question arose from a misconception that "power-assist" is the same thing as "Push 'N Go."
QQ: What is a power-assist operator?
This is Part 1 of a 2-part question, so check tomorrow's post for Part 2. First, I'd like to clarify what defines a power-assist operator...
FF: Trading One Problem For Another
In the case shown in today's Fixed-it Friday photo, a retail store has implemented this creative hold-open because of an assault that occurred in their public restroom...
Decoded: Securing Parking Garages (September 2017)
Without proper planning, parking garages can present security and life-safety challenges. People who are authorized to use the parking area – or unauthorized people who are able to enter an open parking garage – may attempt to gain access to other floors of the building...
WW: Too Short
The most amazing thing about today's Wordless Wednesday photos is that the panic hardware has been installed this way for YEARS, and on a fast-food restaurant!
WWYD? Courtyard Doors
In this school it appears that by preventing access to the courtyard, the school is not required to provide free egress from the courtyard...
QQ: Selected Reentry
What is "selected reentry" and when can it be used?
FF: Public Restroom
I'm in Guatemala! I'm on the hunt for some beautiful and/or interesting Guatemalan doors to share with you, but until then, here are some doors from a recent trip to Phoenix...
Sneak Peek
I told you we were going to have fun this week, right? Well, what could be more fun than a quiz to help you learn about codes? :D But first, I have to tell you something...
WW: School Asks 100 Graffiti Artists To Paint It Before Renovation…
This is amazing. Really. You can see ALL of the beautiful photos and read the story here on Bored Panda, but these are a few of my favorite door-related images from the article...
Happy Birthday to Me!
As I mentioned yesterday, today is my 50th birthday. It seems like a day that I should spend reflecting on my life so far, and planning what to do with the next 50 years. And eating cake...
Logan the Locksmith
Tomorrow is my birthday. Not just any birthday - my 50th! The other day someone said to me, "Don't worry! 50 is the new 70!!!" What???
FF: Deadbolt Retrofit
These photos, from Kelly Reese of Allegion, qualify for the double-whammy - Wordless Wednesday AND Fixed-it Friday. But don't worry...it is indeed Friday! Have a great weekend!
Sensor Bars for Egress
Last week a code official contacted me because he had seen some egress doors in a school that were equipped with sensor bars used to release electromagnetic locks...