Intro to Thresholds and Gasketing (video)
Here's a new whiteboard animation video explaining the basics of thresholds and gasketing, including the related accessibility requirements...
WWYD? “Future” Access Control System
Last week I got an email from an architect working on a renovation project at a college. Part of an existing classroom building is being converted into a new administration area, and the project scope includes preparation for an access control system that will be designed later. The electrified hardware was included in the current project, but the access control readers have not yet been added and the system is not powered up...
FF: Tea Time
I think if I passed this Fixed-it Friday door while visiting this memory care unit my mind would have gone right to the NFPA 101 section that addresses exits disguised by murals in certain types of health care units. Maybe I wouldn't have focused on the actual artwork, but as Gail Erickson of Allegion pointed out when she sent the photo ("I wonder how many times the alarm goes off when they go to get a cup of tea?"), what is depicted in the mural could affect how well the disguise works...
Intro to Codes (video)
We've been working on a new series of whiteboard animation videos...here is one of my favorites!
WW: Do Not Lock
I love it when non-hardwarey people send me photos of egress problems or faulty fire doors. Today's Wordless Wednesday photo is from my friend Gia Jobin, who saw this door on a university campus and recognized that there was a problem...
WWYD? Lactation Room
Yesterday someone asked me about the preferred lock function for a lactation room (aka mothers' room, lactorium), and I realized that I had not written about this before. Back when I needed a lactation room, one of my coworkers changed the passage set on my office to a privacy set...
Decoded: Fire-Protection-Rated vs. Fire-Resistance-Rated Assemblies
Where can we continue to install fire-protection-rated openings (NFPA 252 or UL10C) and where do we need to install fire-resistance-rated openings (ASTM E119 or UL 263)? One clue can be found in NFPA 80. In the 2013 edition, Paragraph 6.3.3.3 states that transom frames and sidelight frames are permitted when a fire-protection rating of 3/4-hour or less is required...
FF: Double-L
Today's Fixed-it Friday photo was posted on the Truck Floor Training Facebook page by Brandon Stroud, a firefighter from Anderson, South Carolina. I don't know whether to laugh or cry...
Q&A: Solid Bar Gasketing
After 7 years of posting a new piece of door & hardware information on this blog every day, it makes me very happy to receive a new question that I haven't thought about before. Last week's question was related to the solid bar gasketing designed to allow closer shoes (and other hardware) to be attached directly to the gasketing...
Good Egress – 99% Invisible
This public radio broadcast about egress and the accompanying article from 99% Invisible are both FABULOUS. Some of the old-fashioned inventions for exiting a building remind me of the "new" school safety and fire escape ideas...
Decoded 1 – Introduction to Codes and Accessibility
When I take time off for the holidays, I often leave a crossword puzzle or some other activity in case you decide to check in while I'm away. This time I'm posting the first of 4 Decoded classes for you to check out while things are relatively quiet...
SDI: Smoke Gasketing Requirements for Opening Protectives
Questions on smoke gasketing continue to come up, so the Steel Door Institute asked me to write about it for their quarterly newsletter. You can subscribe to their newsletter here...
FF: Break Glass
This photo from Kristi Dietz of LaForce, Inc. (check out their blog!), is not just your everyday Fixed-it Friday photo. It is one of my favorite Fixed-it Friday photos OF ALL TIME! And no, it's not code-compliant...at least not in any jurisdiction that I know of...
WW: Clearance Sale
We've all seen this somewhere. Did you say something? Was the problem resolved?
School Fire in Bethel, Alaska
Nobody ever thinks it will happen to them...a fire in their home, school, or workplace. But according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated annual average of 5,690 structure fires in educational properties between 2007 and 2011. I've written many times about how important it is...
Latest Update from Ohio
Last Friday, the Ohio Board of Building Standards posted a 434-page business impact analysis containing all of the comments submitted with regard to the proposed code change on classroom barricade devices. My comments to the board included a comparison of the recommendations made in the July 2015 OBBS Final Report vs. the proposed code language...
FF: Standard Oil
When Jess Dey found this closer on eBay, I was shocked to see such a beautiful potbelly closer! I've never seen a closer with decorative accents - usually architects want to hide the hardware. As it turns out, this closer from the Standard Oil Building in San Francisco was rescued from the trash heap as a standard closer...
NFPA Journal: What Price Security?
Every December I weed through my inbox so I can start fresh in the new year. I get A LOT of email...my inbox is currently down to only 525 emails waiting for some sort of action on my part. I just found an email that included a link to an article from NFPA Journal...
WW: Seek Alternate Route
These photos were shared on the Truck Floor Training page on Facebook, and are posted here with the permission of Chris Morgani of the Fort Myers Beach Fire Department. In addition to the obvious problem, the door is welded shut. Maybe it's not a required exit, or maybe someone made an uneducated decision. We will probably never know...
Decoded: Communicating Doors Between Sleeping Rooms (February 2016)
A door opening between two adjoining hotel rooms is called a communicating door, and is created by installing two doors within one frame - each swinging in the opposite direction. The purpose of these doors is to allow convenience for family or friends sharing two hotel rooms, but the doors also provide security between the two rooms when occupied by separate parties...
Q&A – Do pairs of fire doors require astragals?
NFPA 80 - Standard for Fire Doors & Other Opening Protectives no longer includes a prescriptive requirement for certain pairs of fire doors to have astragals. In the 1999 edition of this standard (and prior editions), an overlapping astragal was required for pairs of doors rated for more than 1 1/2 hours. In the 2007 edition, the requirement for an overlapping astragal was removed, and the use of the astragal is dependent on the manufacturer's listing procedures...
FF: Black Friday
There are many commenters who feel that while the blocks are a danger to firefighters, they're not a code issue if the building is not occupied. If the pallets are blocking required exits, I think they are a code issue, unless one of you can find something in the International Fire Code that says the means of egress requirements only apply when the building is occupied...
‘Issue Brief’ from AIA-Ohio on Classroom Barricade Devices
There is too much valuable information in this white paper for me to cut and paste small sections here - I'd recommend reading the complete document, but one paragraph did catch my eye...
WW: Panic Problem
Sometimes I wonder if y'all are creating these Wordless Wednesday and Fixed-it Friday photos just so you can get famous. :)
Embarrassing 50% Failure Rate
Quite a few people sent this cartoon to me, so I obtained permission to post it here. It looks like the "normal" people are starting to figure out the secrets of the door and hardware industry. Enjoy!
‘Borderline national crisis’ in fire safety, says BWF-CERTIFIRE chairman
This press release is from UK-based BWF Certifire, but the US faces the same fire door problems that are endangering building occupants every day. Kudos to BWF Certifire for raising awareness of the value of fire doors...we NEED a similar program in the US, but who is willing to take it on? Scroll down for an informative video produced by the British Woodworking Foundation...
FF: I’m Not Scared, I’m Prepared
What do you think about the idea of using a children's book, like this one from the ALICE Training Institute, to teach kids about preparing for a school shooting?
WW: Happy Thanksgiving!
I hope you all have a very happy Thanksgiving with friends and family!
Landlord Jailed for Door Failure
Jay Liptrot is a Wales landlord, and ironically - a firefighter, who failed to install a fire door assembly to protect an apartment where 2 adults and 3 children died in a tragic act of arson. Although he was originally charged with manslaughter, his charge was reduced and he was convicted and sentenced to 15 months in prison...
Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS)
The Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS) has released a white paper detailing their position on classroom barricade devices. This position statement provides valuable information for any jurisdiction or school district considering the use of these devices to secure classroom doors...
FF: Wrong Hand?
What is happening in this Fixed-it Friday photo sent to me by Daniel Cannon of Allegion? If the lever has to be turned up instead of down because it's the wrong hand, shouldn't the sign be on the other side of the door? Or...maybe someone could just make it right?
Florida Addresses Classroom Barricade Devices
One of the arguments made by supporters of classroom barricade devices is that many other states have already changed their codes to allow the devices to be used. While a few states do allow the devices, the vast majority of state codes have not changed...
WW: Classic on Ice
Today's Wordless Wednesday photo, sent to me by Aaron Owens of Allegion, is not an unusual code violation. The location is what leaves me wordless - an NHL hockey arena...
Classroom Barricade Follow-Up
A few weeks ago I mentioned that there would be a meeting with the Ohio Board of Building Standards to discuss the proposed code language allowing classroom barricade devices. Quite a few of you left comments, and like me, most felt that the proposed language does not go far enough to keep teachers and students safe...
FF: Inflate to Escape
I know...lots of videos this week. It's just a coincidence - not a new trend. I'll just leave this right here...
Closed Door Follow-Up
On Tuesday I posted some news reports about the effects of a closed door during a fire. NBC-5 has released a follow-up story on the fact that national fire safety organizations have not been including the message to sleep with your bedroom door closed in their educational materials...
WW: Slippery Slope
There are some AHJs who allow security measures that are not compliant for egress if they're only used "after hours." I always say that this is a slippery slope, because once the device is installed, there's no guarantee that anyone will remember that the door is supposed to be unlocked during business hours...
Close the Door
I've been talking about this for years with regard to fire doors as well as doors in a home, but it's nice to have someone from UL back me up...
Automatic-Closing Door Application
Last week I received a really interesting question. The city of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, made a local code modification that requires certain stairwell doors to be automatic-closing. But what about security? This is the application I would use...
FF: Good Luck Getting Out
Some Fixed-it Friday photos result in mixed emotions - sadness that people resort to these methods, excitement that I have something to share with you that will make you shake your head, concern that the creative application could cause harm. Like these photos from Leo Lebovits of M&D Door & Hardware, taken at a public swimming pool...
Decoded: Code Requirements for UL 294 – Standard for Access Control System Units
The two common code questions that arise regarding UL 294 are - A) which electrified applications are subject to the listing requirements? and B) which components of a system are required to be listed?
WW: Double Trouble
These Wordless Wednesday photos are from Erich Friend of Teqniqal Systems. According to Erich, the first photo is the initial egress door out of the auditorium. If you make it past the lab table, you encounter the trash can and piano stored in front of the exit discharge. No words...
Fire Door Inspection Cards
A few months ago I posted some images of a new educational piece on fire door inspections. When I was in Carmel last month I saw one in person, and I think they're great! They're hard laminated cards - about 4 inches wide and 12 inches long. We have some in stock...
FF: To Exit, Enter Current Year
Today's Fixed-it Friday photo was found on Imgur, so I don't know where it originated. It shows the creative use of an access control keypad to control egress. If this application was used in a memory care facility, it would be code-compliant if a delayed egress system or controlled egress system was used...
Need CEUs? Training Alert!
On Thursday, November 12, my coworker (and old college friend!), Bill Lawliss, will be conducting webinars at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Eastern. Bill will cover Basic Hardware - products used to hang, secure, control, and protect the door. The webinar offers 1 CEU for AIA members and there is no charge to attend the class.
WW: Fire Door – Please Keep Closed
There are some of my favorite Wordless Wednesday photos ever. They're simple, yet complex in their irony. Found in a state office building and sent to me by John Gant from Allegion.
Al Jazeera America: In controversial effort to stop violence, Ohio tries school barricades
I'm working on some more information to post here, but for now I wanted to share this article from Al Jazeera America. It is the very FIRST mainstream media article I've seen that addresses some of the problems associated with the use of classroom barricade devices...
Clear Opening Width for Double-Egress Pairs
This question landed on my desk recently...What is the minimum clear opening width for each leaf of a double-egress pair?
FF: Airport Security
According to the facility, the doors are no longer required as an exit, but if that's the case, why not just lock them up, add some signage ("Not an Exit"), remove the exit sign, and make it look less like a Fixed-it Friday contender?
Update on Classroom Barricade Devices
If you're thinking that this post doesn't apply to you because you're not in Ohio, think again. Several states are becoming more proactive about this issue to try to avoid similar legislation...