WW: Shop Till You Drop
Since it's Wordless Wednesday, I'll let you tell me what's wrong with this "key-operated lock" application. Extra credit if you can tell me what changed about the key-operated lock requirements in the 2015 IBC...
Decoded: Egress Terminology
As I mentioned in my previous column, there are other factors that affect the quantity and location of egress doors, beyond the general requirements for 2, 3, or 4 exits depending on the occupant load. For example, doors used for egress need to be located remotely...
Another Fire Door Win
Although the news reports are focused on the recent loss of a historic school in Champlain, New York, a fire door between the original section and a 1960's addition did help to prevent the spread of smoke and flames:
Series on Historic Fires
There have been many fires throughout history that have shaped our current codes, and I recently ran across a series in the Enid (Oklahoma) News which includes several events that impacted the door and hardware industry specifically. As I've said before, I think we can learn a lot from the past...
Fire Door Win! (and a fail)
Reporter Quote: "The people who ran from the room where the fire began left the door open behind them, and the fire quickly spread into the hallway..." Fire Department Quote: "There's a fire door that separates the two compartments of that wing, and it did its job..."
FF: Security Mesh
I've started 2015 with quite a few posts about school security. This is probably because I've been working so closely with the BHMA Codes and Government Affairs Committee and other organizations to review state requirements and propose code changes that will increase security in schools while maintaining safety. I tend to write about whatever I'm working on. If you're tired of school-related posts, feel free to suggest something else you'd like me to write about - I'm easily distracted (Hey look! A squirrel! :) ) For today's Fixed-it Friday post I have yet another school security topic (although it could apply to other types of buildings), and I'd love your feedback.
HMMA 850-14: Fire Protection and Smoke Control Rated Hollow Metal Door and Frame Products
The Hollow Metal Manufacturers Association (HMMA) is a division of the National Association of Architectural Metal Manufacturers (NAAMM), and publishes more than two dozen reference documents related to hollow metal doors and frames...
WW: Peas and Corn
Parents of middle schoolers at the W.F. Burns Middle School in Valley, Alabama, received the letter below asking them to send a canned food item to school for use as part of their school security plan. I'm going to keep Wordless on this one, so I can hear the opinions of all y'all...
Lawsuit Filed Over Lax School Security
Among the allegations is that Sandy Hook Elementary School had security policies and procedures in place that teachers weren't able to follow on the day of the killings. Classroom doors could only be locked from the outside with keys...
Online Training Ops
My next online Decoded class will be held on Wednesday, January 21st from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Eastern. This is the third class in the series of 4 presented on behalf of the Door & Hardware Institute, and I will cover the requirements for life safety and egress...
FF: Residential Corridors
The purpose of cross-corridor doors in this application would be to compartmentalize the building. The magnetic holders make it clear that the intention is for the doors to close if there is a fire alarm. This is obviously not going to happen if there are wood wedges in place...
School Security – How to Build and Strengthen a School Safety Program, by Paul Timm
Paul Timm: "...The riskiest options employed today rely on relatively inexpensive aftermarket products that cover strike plates, prop open locked doors, or prevent ingress from the hallway..."
WW: Hard Wired
Today's Wordless Wednesday photos were sent by Jim McDonald of Twin City Hardware (who is not responsible for this installation!)...
Ohio Advisory Statement – Egress in Educational Occupancies
As I've said before, I would like to collect the official statements on school security from various jurisdictions, to get a more complete picture of what is being approved from one state to the next. Back in September I posted a memo from the New York State Education Department, and today I received a copy of the Ohio Advisory Statement that I mentioned in yesterday's post. You can find a copy of the complete document on the City of Dayton's website.
Retrofit Security Devices In the News
A few weeks ago I wrote about a community group in Ohio that raised $30,000 to purchase a barricade device for each classroom door in their school district. Over the weekend I saw a headline about this school district from the Newark Advocate: SWL Schools Unable to Use Donated Door Barricades...
Decoded: Test Your Knowledge (January 2015)
You may have already noticed...I've been taking a little time off between the holidays, but here's something to keep you busy until I'm back in action next Monday...
WWYD: Fusible Link Arms
NFPA 80 does not prohibit their use but the International Building Code (IBC) requires automatic-closing doors in certain locations to be smoke-activated...automatic-closing by the actuation of smoke detectors...
Elevator Machine Rooms
Two of our specwriters recently asked me about elevator machine rooms (which would fit the description of "rooms not normally occupied by humans"), because they had specified manual flush bolts on elevator machine rooms, and had been told that automatic flush bolts are required...
FF: Do Not Pull
Most magnetic holders provide 20-30 pounds of holding force, and can be released manually by pulling on the door to separate the door-mounted armature from the wall-mounted magnet. The signage here tells me that the magnet is probably not anchored to the wall properly, and I guess adding a sign is one way to fix the problem...
Locked Egress Doors in Health Care Facilities
In January of this year, I wrote about a tragic fire at a senior home in L'Isle Verte, Quebec, in which 32 of the home's residents were killed. The inquest into this incident is currently underway, and I've been keeping an ear to the ground to see if there are any lessons to share...
WW: Please Open Door Slowly
Today's Wordless Wednesday photo was spotted on Flickr by Deputy Jeff Tock of Allegion. I wonder how long this sign has been dangling...
Life Safety vs. School Security
It has been two years since the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Security has become a priority for many school districts, and I do believe that schools are more secure now. Added security won't be able to prevent every school-related incident, especially when so many of the "intruders" have actually been members of the school community - often students...
FF: New LCN Special Template
It's called the Ives Cush Stop (just kidding - we don't endorse this application!)...
Video: NIST Fire Simulation
A report recently released by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) examines the fire dynamics of a house fire in Chicago, where failure of a door released hot gases and resulted in the death of a firefighter.
WW: Not an Exit (Any More)
This door is in a high school auditorium, and although it no longer seems to be used as an exit (and there are marked exits nearby), it is the first door you see when attempting to exit. Many AHJs will tell you that if it looks like an exit, it has to act like an exit...
FBI Study on Active Shooters
One of the speakers at last week's NFPA School Safety Summit was Katherine Schweit, a Supervisory Special Agent for the FBI. Agent Schweit spoke about the FBI's Active Shooter Initiative, and the published study that was recently released.
Online Decoded Class 2
My next online Decoded class will be held on Wednesday, December 17th from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Eastern. This is the second class in the series of 4 presented on behalf of the Door & Hardware Institute where I will cover the requirements for fire door assemblies, including...
FF: I’m Wordless
I know it's Fixed-it Friday, but I'm Wordless. Maybe you can help? Caption this...
Mag-Locks Revisited
I'm at the NFPA School Safety Summit this week and it has been an amazing opportunity to hear from code officials, first responders, and other experts, and to break into smaller groups to discuss school safety issues and the necessary code changes. I'll definitely have more to report on this later.
WW: Esoteric Exits
If I had a dollar for every time I was asked to make a door invisible, I'd have enough money to buy that desert island I've been dreaming of. But then y'all would have to find a new place to send your Wordless Wednesday photos...
Keep Your ‘I’ on BIM, William Lawliss
This article by my coworker, Bill Lawliss, appeared in last month's issue of Doors & Hardware magazine. In case you're not a subscriber and are interested in BIM, I'm sharing it here (or you can download the reprint here)...
Video: Close the Door
Most of you know how important a door can be in preventing the spread of fire, but recent efforts are helping the general public understand the value of their doors and how to use them as a tool to save lives...
WW: Booth by the Exit
I have to admit, I do like to sit where I can see the exit. But this might be a little too close for comfort...
Feng Shui
To be honest, I haven't spent a lot of time thinking about feng shui, which is an ancient art and science developed over 3,000 years ago in China. The goal of Feng Shui is to balance the energies of a space to ensure health and good fortune. I do know that I'm not supposed to store stuff under my bed, which might be the reason I'm often unbalanced.
Almudena Cathedral – Madrid, Spain
These beautiful doors are from the Almudena Cathedral in Madrid. Construction on the cathedral began in 1883, but due to the Civil War and other delays, the cathedral was not consecrated for worship until 1993. The extremely ornate bronze doors are the work of sculptor Luis Antonio Sanguino, who began work on them in 2000...
FF: Dutch Door and More
Mark Lineberger of Valley Doors and Hardware sent me today's Fixed-it Friday photo. This dutch door (I use the term loosely) was seen at the NYC Port Authority Bus Terminal. I know it's Friday but I'm Wordless.
School Guard Glass
School Guard Glass is a new product that can retrofit existing 1/4" glass at a cost of about $1,000-$1,200 per full glass door lite, and it kept the testing agent at bay for 6 minutes during independent testing. What do you think?
WW: Emerald City
Did you know??? NFPA 101 - The Life Safety Code states, "It shall be the duty of principals, teachers, or staff to inspect all exit facilities daily to ensure that all stairways, doors, and other exits are in proper condition." I think someone missed this one...
WWYD? Stairwell Pressure
When you have a pressurized stairwell that is required for smoke control, the increased pressure in the stairwell makes doors swinging into the stair more difficult to open, and doors swinging out of the stair may not close and latch. WWYD?
School Security in the News
After Sandy Hook, school districts around the country began focusing intently on security systems like fences, guards, and shatterproof glass at entries. The new Sandy Hook will have impact-resistant windows and an intercom screening systems for visitors...
FF: Serendipitous Hold-Open
It's Fixed-it Friday! And just announced...I will be conducting my online Decoded course on behalf of the Door and Hardware Institute starting next week!
Rescue Hardware on Corridor Doors
Is rescue hardware allowed on a corridor door in a hospital or nursing home? Is the door able to provide an effective barrier to limit the passage of smoke without the frame stop?
WW: Climb to Exit
Jerry Rice of DH Pace sent me today's Wordless Wednesday photo. This behavior isn't going to change until someone gets in trouble...
Flickr Favorites
I'm in Rochester, New Hampshire today, completing the practicum phase of my NFPA Certified Fire Plans Examiner certification, so here is a quick post about a new feature of this site!
FF: Panic Hardware Hacks
Here are two creative fixes for problems with panic hardware...what issues were these Fixed-it Friday "solutions" designed to rectify?
Concealed Vertical Cable Exit Devices Fill a Church’s Tall Order
When St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church needed a way to secure pairs of 14-foot tall bronze doors in its new church, it found the answer in exit devices with the Von Duprin® Concealed Vertical Cable (CVC) system from Allegion...
WW: Good Luck
It's Wordless Wednesday again...thank you to Keith Moore who sent this photo via Jeff Tock of Allegion.
Help Wanted – School Safety
I'm working on an article for a print publication, that covers the some of the common code issues affecting schools and mistakes that may be made - particularly in the rush to secure a school against an intruder. The topics I've included are:
Rehearsing for death: A pre-K teacher on the trouble with lockdown drills
When we talk about school security / school safety we bring different perspectives to the table. Many of us are parents or grandparents of children in school. Some are educators or administrators, or those responsible for designing, securing, or maintaining school buildings. Others are first responders or code officials. In a recent edition of the Washington Post there was an article giving a teacher's prespective on school lockdown...
Happy Halloween!
Last weekend our church had a Halloween party with a haunted house for the kids. Because (as Popeye always said) "I yam what I yam," I wondered about the egress plans if there was an emergency. Maybe a maze made of cardboard and sheets with no open flames in a church basement for 3 hours with lots of adult supervision isn't a huge concern, but haunted houses have become big business...