Corridor doors in health care facilities - like those leading to patient rooms - will help to protect patients in their rooms from the smoke and flames if a fire occurs. Here are some of the most frequently-asked questions about these assemblies...
Nancy Chiang of Cuningham Group Architecture sent me today's Fixed-it Friday photo, and I'm wondering what you all think. This door is in a zoo exhibit, where the chains are used to keep the "wildlife" from passing through between two areas.
As someone who grew up in the 70's and 80's, I remember learning to "Stop, Drop, and Roll" in school. To be honest, I thought this was a skill that I would use much more often, kind of like the quicksand survival tactics I obsessed about as a kid.
I just received this Wordless Wednesday photo from Allison Berejka of Allegion, and I'm beyond wordless. This is a stairwell fire door in a New York City apartment building, and it will serve no purpose if a fire occurs.
Last week I posted some photos sent to me by a retired fire marshal, and one of them reminded me of a Quick Question that I've received several times lately: Do impact doors have to comply with the accessibility standards?
Remember the Good Old Days, when I used to go on road trips (and plane trips) and post photos of the doors I saw along the way? Well, I'm so excited to be able to get back out a bit, and I found this interesting application in Guanajuato, Mexico.
Chuck Park Jr. sent me today's Fixed-it Friday photo, and at first I didn't see the problem. And no...there is no other door opening into this space. I wonder how many people have noticed this situation - probably not many!
A while back, I posted a Quick Question about whether a missing closer cover on a fire door assembly should be noted as a deficiency during a fire door inspection. There is finally an official answer!
One of my retired fire marshal friends sent me today's Wordless Wednesday photos...neither life safety nor security is winning here. Don't forget to send me your Wordless Wednesday and Fixed-it Friday photos!
What are the top trends and challenges in today's health care facilities? From the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to the rise of electronics, our research explores changes in the market. Download the information today.
My Decoded course has been taken thousands of times on-demand, along with countless attendees who have participated in live Decoded classes taught by my Allegion coworkers. I just updated all 4 classes and they're ready to go!
Today's Fixed-it Friday photo came from Lloyd Raforth of Allegion, who found this parallel arm closer with a "twist" mounted on a restaurant exit. Whatever it takes to get the job done!
Today's Quick Question is a good one...When a specific requirement stated in a referenced standard is in conflict with what is allowed by the code that is referencing the standard, which requirement applies?
Andy Lindenberg of Allegion sent me today's Wordless Wednesday photos, taken in a school. After an entire swim season with no one reporting the issue, a janitor noticed the problem. #wordless!
This article - about balancing life safety with school security - is the cover story for the Spring 2022 issue of Life Safety Digest. Feel free to share it with school administrators or others who may need it!
Webinar Wednesdays continue, along with a new Security in 30 session coming up this month! Electrified hardware, hollow metal doors and frames, fire doors, panic hardware, and a Security in 30 on some important health care research!
It has been a while since I've posted a beautiful door, but I saw these the other day. Can you find the fix on these highly-carved doors leading to a restaurant courtyard? Happy Fixed-it Friday!
Several iDigHardware readers have wished for a simple tool on the site to estimate the occupant load of a space. I have created an occupant load estimator for the International Building Code (IBC), and I'd love some feedback on it.
There are millions - yes, MILLIONS - of existing fire door assemblies that have been modified or damaged, or that have not been maintained properly. The only way to find them and fix them is to enforce the code requirements for fire door inspections. What's the hold up?
As I said in my previous post about fire door FAQs, I will be posting more groups of FAQs in the coming months, to try to fill in some gaps where there is still confusion. In this post I am answering a few common questions on controlled egress doors in health care facilities.
Last week, NYC Mayor Eric Adams signed an executive order that strengthens fire safety enforcement and outreach in the city. In addition, proposed city council legislation was filed that would increase penalties for non-compliant doors.
Jeff Tock of Allegion sent me today's Fixed-it Friday photos and I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Maybe someone was hesitant to drill into the tile, so this was their solution?
I've been asked today's quick question three times in the last two weeks, so I have updated the post with the references from the current codes. Is it acceptable by code to install a louver (fusible link or other type) in a fire door?
With the number of apartments in a metropolis like New York City, and the prevalence of fires in multifamily buildings, how are code officials ever going to get a handle on the non-code-compliant conditions?
Today's post is my next Decoded column, for the School Security + Safety issue of Door Security + Safety Magazine. Let me know if you have any suggestions before it goes to print!
One of the highest-security projects I ever specified was a state data center, and along with vascular readers and multiple interlocks, the project required high security door position sensors. These sensors are now available from Schlage!
I'm not sure how or why this happened, but between the two motions to exit and the concrete block "step" to get up and out of the window well, it's a no from me. Happy Fixed-it Friday!
Today's Quick Question: Can on-call rooms in a hospital have occupancy indicator deadbolts that are separate from the latchsets, or do these doors have to unlatch with one releasing motion?
Marc Zolner of Allegion sent me today's Wordless Wednesday photo, taken in a sports facility. For whatever reason, this type of building is a common location for non-code-compliant exits. How many problems do you see?
Last week, several people sent me a link to this photo, which ran on various media sites with an AP article about the MLB lockout. I couldn't resist turning it into a teachable moment - not about baseball, of course...about panic hardware. :)
Logan Piburn sent me these photos the other day and asked for my opinion. Based on the model code excerpts in this post, would you consider these egress doors code-compliant? WWYD?
I received today's Fixed-it Friday photo from Eyal Bedrik of Entry Systems Ltd. It gives a whole new meaning to the term "panic bar." Cheers! :-)
As a follow-up to yesterday's post, I want to share a new resource that we can use to help educate school administrators, parents, students, and others about school safety and security. It is a collaboration between PASS and Safe and Sound Schools:
Some days I just want to give up on reading the news. A Nashville news station posted a report recently asking why more Tennessee schools are not using classroom barricade devices, and I'm wordless.
I often wonder how in the world exits can be blocked, or have hardware that has been modified and will not allow egress - sometimes for YEARS - without anyone noticing. I think the answer may have something to do with today's Quick Question.
Great news! Webinar Wednesdays are back, along with a new Security in 30 session coming up this month! Electrified hardware, automatic operators, hollow metal doors and frames...which classes will you attend?
Whether it's a smoking dryer in the laundry room or something more serious, fire door assemblies play a very important role in a building's fire protection system - even if most people don't realize it. Another fire door win!
The Rhythm Club Fire in Natchez, Mississippi is yet another example of how egress doors can impact life safety during a fire. This video from the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation shares some important information about the lessons learned.
A proposed change to Michigan law would allow classroom barricade devices to be installed on spaces like gymnasiums, libraries, auditoriums, and cafeterias. How can we help legislators see the potential implications of this decision?
This story from WWLTV does a great job of illustrating the importance of compartmentalizing a building for fire protection. It focuses on the firestopping at the new MSY airport in New Orleans, and discusses the potential results of voids that are not code-compliant.
Today's Quick Question...A school district wants to use chains and padlocks to secure the school buildings at night and on weekends. Do the model codes allow this when the building is not occupied?
There was a time when trimming doors in the field was common. With most doors now arriving prefit, prebeveled, and premachined from the manufacturer, they should not need to be undersized further in the field.
I have to admit...I was very disappointed when a document from the U.S. government referenced security methods that could conflict with the adopted codes. But there's a new (and improved!) edition of the K-12 School Security Guide!
Today's Wordless Wednesday photos of a security checkpoint in a high school are a great illustration of how easy it is to overlook egress and other code requirements when our attention is focused elsewhere.
I will be publishing several sets of frequently asked questions this year, with more detailed supporting articles on each topic. If you have a FAQ that you'd like to add to the list, leave it in the comment box and I will include it in a future article.
NIST - National Institute of Standards and Technology investigated the Station Nightclub Fire and published a list of 10 recommendations based on their findings. Recommendation 5 was related to egress...
Andy Lindenberg of Allegion sent me today's Fixed-it Friday photos. Although I've seen poorly-placed floor stops with a second stop added later, I don't think I've ever seen a floor-mounted wall stop thrown into the mix!
Today I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the passing of one of my very favorite people in the door and hardware industry, Bob Jutzi. Jutzi passed away on February 15, 2022, at the age of 76, surrounded by his loved ones and his dog Lula.
A documentary has just been released on PBS as part of the Independent Lens series. It is a detailed and often disturbing look at the measures schools are taking to ensure that students and staff feel safe. "The wolf is in the henhouse." #wordless
Does anyone out there have an example of a lockdown plan meeting the requirements of the International Fire Code (IFC)? I'd like to share it with the life safety manager of a university who is looking to see what other facilities are using. WWYD?
