Some of you may remember that I posted about the Ceasefire hinge back in 2014 - the firefighters who created this product even invited me to visit them in NYC (here's a post about that). Since then, this hinge has gone through testing, design changes, and more testing, and the company is taking pre-orders on their website now.
As a last resort, I support using whatever is on hand to secure/barricade the door. But if we have time to look at the school's current situation and plan the response - is this REALLY the best we can do?
When I first started working in the door and hardware industry, I learned all about the rules that apply to fire doors, but I didn’t fully appreciate the value of a closed door during a fire.
There is a lesson behind today's Fixed-it Friday photo. Upon first glance you see an exterior door locked with padlocks and a chain attached to the lever on an adjacent door. But why?
The code requirements addressing delayed egress have evolved since they were first introduced in the 1981 edition of NFPA 101 – The Life Safety Code, and that evolution continues with the 2018 editions of both NFPA 101 and the International Building Code (IBC).
Watching this news report brought a little tear to my eye. FINALLY, someone in the media is talking about both sides of the equation - safety AND security.
It seems like it must be a fairly common situation, so let me know if you have seen it before or have ideas about a solution that would be acceptable to the AHJ.
One headline that caught my eye was from the Washington Post: "Texas official says that fewer doors could mean fewer school shootings. We had experts weigh in."
No screw pack in the box? No problem!
A new package of fire safety laws has now been approved and is on the mayor's desk awaiting his signature...
The last time I posted a photo of a closer that had exploded, some of the readers thought it was Photoshopped. Here's another one.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recently released a new standard - NFPA 3000 - which sets guidelines for Active Shooter/Hostile Event Response (ASHER).
In 2017, the International Code Council (ICC) published a new edition of ICC A117.1; the previous edition was published in 2009. The 2017 edition includes some changes relative to door openings...
As hopefully most of you know by now, corridor doors in health care facilities are required by NFPA 101 to have positive-latching hardware. Lance Werner of Allegion sent me this photo of a pair of fire doors in a nursing home, leading to a linen storage room. A Schlage LM9200 would have been a much better solution.
I've had several CSI chapters ask if they can include this article in their newsletters or technical libraries, so I had it reformatted into a printable PDF.
These Wordless Wednesday photos also qualify for Fixed-it Friday but I couldn't wait two more days to post them.
How wide should a protection plate be?
BHMA has proposed a change to the 2021 IBC, to create some guidelines for interlocks - called "control vestibules" in the proposed code language. We need your help to get this right!
Someone suggested to me recently that I might be opposed to classroom barricade devices because I work for a lock manufacturer. I'd like to clear that up right now.
We've all seen the back-of-house doors in shopping malls...they're often good examples of what-not-to-do.
What do you think about using a special-purpose door for security compartmentalization?
This is what I've been saying all along. Why has it taken so many deaths and injuries to get people to pay attention?
This is not the first time I've seen this problem, but this is a pretty labor-intensive solution. Hopefully this wall is not a fire barrier.
The first meeting of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Commission was held this week, and information was shared which will help us to understand the role played by physical security and design features of the building.
I think these Wordless Wednesday photos may permanently affect my ability to speak.
While working on an upcoming article, I realized that I knew much more about more recent school shootings than I did about what happened at Columbine...
What's the problem with this door? Any ideas?
Before someone else says it...at least this isn't a fire door.
Can a delayed action closer be installed on a fire door?
#Wordless, from the Champaign Illinois Fire Department's Facebook page...
Since the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, I have thought a lot about lock functions for classroom doors; the news reports and the testimony from Parkland teacher Stacey Lippel added some new perspective.
So let's say that I'm thinking about renting out my college-bound daughter's bedroom on Airbnb to help offset the cost of her books and fees. Does her bedroom door need to be a fire door? Is my house now a small hotel?
#Wordless Friday from Gregory Kelly of Allegion...
This video from a recent fire in a dormitory at Idaho State University really shows the difference that a closed door can make.
I'm not an expert on the electrical codes, but this just seems wrong to me.
This is a good one! What would you use to hang these doors, and what type of door closer could be used?
This website exists in part because of the complexity of doors and hardware - if it was easy, it would be called "easyware," right?
This product isn't door-related, but I'm curious what y'all think...
Have you ever run across this application in the field or been asked to specify or install panic hardware on a door with no closer? What is your response to this request?
A fire station? REALLY?? This reminds me of a fire station I visited a while back...
I'm hoping this piece sums up the concerns associated with classroom barricade devices and can be used as reference material when discussing options for school security.
I recently ran across a Facebook page that could supply us with Fixed-it Friday photos until the end of time (or until I retire).
Today's Wordless Wednesday photos came from Colin Watson of Allegion, who saw this sign in a coffee shop. I guess this is one way to address a non-code-compliant door.
In an emergency, the ability to quickly evacuate can be key to survival. Life safety is everyone's responsibility. If you see something, say something.
Here is one state fire marshal's answer to the school security question. What do you think?
It is just me, or does it seem like antique stores often have creative ways of deterring egress?
How do you "hand" a communicating door? Are the doors LH/RH? Or LHR/RHR?
This type of lock is not panic hardware. We need to be aware of these claims and prepared to address them when questions arise.
I don't have an attached garage, but if I did, I would make sure that the door is self-closing or automatic-closing. Is this something you have considered for your own home?
The 2018 edition of the IBC includes an important clarification regarding doors with panic hardware and electromagnetic locks.
