Lori Greene

About Lori Greene

Lori is the Manager, Codes and Resources for Allegion, and the creator of iDigHardware. With more than 35 years of experience in the door and hardware industry, in her current role she focuses exclusively on the code requirements that apply to door openings.

FF: Random Creativity

If any of you attended DHI's AH2 class in Savannah, Georgia back in the Good Old Days, you may have had one of my all-time favorite instructors - Bob Jutzi.  I actually use a lot of his techniques when I teach, to try to make my classes more engaging and dare I say "fun"?  I don't have a flat-cat Earl, but I still have the monkey from my AH2 class (and a monkey arm from another year).  Bob sent me the photos below so if you want to leave him a "howdy" you can do so in the comments.

By |2014-01-29T13:31:55-05:00January 10th, 2014|Door Closers, Fire Doors, Fixed-it Friday, Panic Hardware|11 Comments
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Manhattan High Rise Fire

On January 5th, a fire in a Manhattan high-rise apartment building resulted in the death of building resident Daniel McClung, who was found in a smoke-filled stairwell.  Several other residents were injured, including Mr. McClung's husband who was also found in the stairwell.  The fire appears to have been the result of an overloaded extension cord or power strip.  The apartment's resident was not at home when the fire started, and reportedly opened his door upon returning home, saw the fire and escaped leaving the door open.  This provided oxygen to the fire, and allowed the smoke and flames to spread.

By |2016-12-02T22:45:11-05:00January 7th, 2014|Fire Doors, News|8 Comments
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Back to Cape Cod

A few years ago I took my family to a resort on Cape Cod for winter break, and I spent this past weekend at the same resort.  On our first visit, I found a lot to write about...the hinges on all of the cross-corridor doors had been modified (sometimes very badly) and were no longer code-compliant for fire doors, the fire doors connecting the 8 buildings were propped open with wedges and the latches had been removed, the swimming pool egress doors were questionable, and there were a few other issues.

By |2016-08-23T21:01:58-04:00January 6th, 2014|Door Closers, Fire Doors, Hold-Opens, Road Trips|13 Comments
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FF: Creative Doorknobs

The other day I ran across this glass globe doorknob, which allows you to see into the next room before you enter.  Pretty cool design, but not without its challenges, especially if it's not available with 1-way viewing.  I could use it to spy on my kids to see if they're playing video games when they're supposed to be sleeping, but I don't want them to be able to check to see if the coast is clear before leaving their bedroom to make a run to the cookie jar.

By |2016-01-13T11:09:41-05:00January 3rd, 2014|Fixed-it Friday, Locks & Keys|0 Comments
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WWYD? Connecting Classroom Doors

Many classrooms have a door connecting to the adjacent classroom.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but since most classrooms do not require a second means of egress, I think those doors are typically there for convenience.  I tried to find something in past codes that would have required the second door, but so far I only see the requirement for a second means of egress when the occupant load reaches 50 or more.  (Note: There are some situations where a classroom may need to have a second means of egress because it is not located on the ground floor.)

By |2013-12-27T00:08:36-05:00December 17th, 2013|Locks & Keys, Means of Egress, Panic Hardware, School Security, WWYD?|19 Comments
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School Security in the News

If you search Google News for the words "school" and "security", the search engine will return millions of results.  There are stories about many cities, states, and school districts working on plans and funding to increase the safety and security of their schools.  There are reports about incidents at schools, and products that may help improve security.  It's tough to wade through it all.  The following articles address the topic with a slightly different focus.

By |2017-05-25T15:41:29-04:00December 16th, 2013|Glass, Locks & Keys, News, School Security|2 Comments
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WW: Ice Time

This photo, from an ice arena, gives me the chills.  Ice rinks are notoriously difficult locations for doors and hardware...lots of abuse, often a high occupant load, humidity and corrosion issues, and other contributing factors.  In case you don't see the problem right away, look at the top of the mullion.  Angle brackets have been bolted to each door, and there is a pin inserted through one bracket, through the mullion, and through the other bracket.  Someone trying to exit through these doors would likely have no idea why they won't open.

By |2013-12-18T15:34:37-05:00December 11th, 2013|Doors Gone Wrong, Means of Egress, Wordless Wednesday|9 Comments
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Swing Free in School?

Over the weekend I visited a local high school for a swim meet.  Right away I noticed MANY pairs of fire doors equipped with LCN Sentronics, which are designed to hold the doors open until the fire alarm sounds and then close the doors to deter the spread of smoke and flames.  Some of these doors were propped open with wood wedges (uh-oh).  When I took a closer look, I realized what the problem was.

By |2017-05-30T16:06:29-04:00December 9th, 2013|Door Closers, Fire Doors, Hold-Opens|16 Comments
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FF: STOP!

When you're faced with an opening where a floor stop or wall stop just won't work, you could use an overhead stop.  If that's not enough protection, you could use a door closer with advanced variable backcheck (AVB), which starts the backcheck (cushioning effect) earlier in the opening cycle and keeps the door from gaining momentum.  Or you could get creative and make your own stop, cover it with carpet so it looks pretty, and then buy a new door...

By |2017-05-30T16:00:50-04:00December 6th, 2013|Doors Gone Wrong, Fixed-it Friday, Stops|9 Comments
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WW: Look Closer

I just had an idea.  I'm putting together an online code class for my coworkers, which will be available to others outside of the company next year.  The way I like to teach about codes is to explain the intent behind the requirement, show examples, reference the applicable section of the code, and preferably to break up the education into small chunks so it's easier to absorb over time.  The way I initially tried to learn was to read the code books and highlight the sections, but it didn't really stick with me.  So many people email me to say, "I know the code says something about *this*, but where is it?"...something they have read or heard may have left an impression on them about the requirement, but it didn't settle into their brain for the long haul.

By |2013-12-04T23:27:53-05:00November 20th, 2013|Locks & Keys, Means of Egress, Wordless Wednesday|19 Comments
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FF: Lockdown

Eric Paul of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies sent me these photos of another school lockdown product that a local school was using.  The lock is kept locked, and the add-on product keeps the latchbolt retracted until there's an emergency and the teacher needs to lock the door.  This product can not be used on fire doors, which need to latch.  Have any of you ever seen or used this product?  Comments?

By |2013-12-04T23:19:28-05:00November 15th, 2013|Fixed-it Friday, Locks & Keys, School Security|11 Comments
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WW: Down at the DMV

I find the Department of Motor Vehicles so frustrating that one year I actually cried because after waiting over an hour they said I didn't bring the right utility bill.  AND...my car got hit by someone taking his driving test in the parking lot (he failed).  It might have all been worthwhile if I could have spotted an exit at the DMV like this one, sent in by Lisa Augerson of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies.  According to Lisa, the DMV person said they keep it unlocked during business hours.

By |2013-12-04T23:18:50-05:00November 6th, 2013|Flush Bolts and Coordinators, Means of Egress, Wordless Wednesday|6 Comments
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Hobbit Doors

Hobbit doors are all the rage right now...you can find hobbit door jewelry, cookies, outlet covers, ice cream sandwiches...I would like a real one.  Not a tiny real one - a 5-footish, round hobbit door with a knob in the middle.  Now I just have to figure out where to put it.  If I made a hobbit hole in the back yard I could hide from the kids in it.

By |2017-04-24T17:08:54-04:00November 5th, 2013|Beautiful Doors|0 Comments
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St. John the Baptist School – Peabody, Massachusetts

Yesterday was the 98th anniversary of a tragic school fire that took the lives of 22 children between the ages of 7 and 17, who were burned or crushed to death while trying to escape.  The 3-story brick and wood building was engulfed within 5 minutes, and it's miraculous that more of the almost 700 children and staff in the building were not killed.  The fire began in the basement, and traveled through the building as the basement doors were left open.  The oil finish used on the wood floors contributed to the toxicity of the smoke.  The stairs were not enclosed, and did not discharge to the exterior.  Almost all of the victims were found just inside the main entrance.  As a result of this fire, Peabody became the first city to pass a law which required egress doors in public buildings and schools to swing in the direction of egress.

By |2016-11-23T20:18:04-05:00October 29th, 2013|Fire Doors, News|3 Comments
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RPM Special Edition on School Violence

This week, two teachers have been killed on school grounds, allegedly by students.  Michael Landsberry, a teacher from Sparks Middle School in Sparks, Nevada, and Colleen Ritzer, a teacher at Danvers High School in Danvers, Massachusetts, are remembered as wonderful teachers, beloved by their students and colleagues.  Yesterday an 11-year-old boy brought several knives, a gun, and 400 rounds of ammunition to Frontier Middle School in Vancouver, Washington.  Two weeks ago, an ROTC student in uniform brought a gun into Hickman Mills Junior High School in Kansas City, Missouri, even though the school was equipped with metal detectors.  Thankfully, noone was injured in either of those cases.

By |2013-10-29T13:37:04-04:00October 24th, 2013|News, School Security|1 Comment
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Knock the Vote

A couple of weeks ago someone commented on one of my posts that he really liked the article but didn't know who the author was.  Many of you have been part of the site's evolution, and some of you know me personally.  When I write these posts I feel like I'm talking to you...either explaining a difficult code-related topic, or chuckling with you over a creative solution.  So unless I state otherwise, the author is me!  Same with the photos.  I try to be very careful about giving proper photo credit, so if you don't see a mention of who sent me the photo, the photographer is usually me.

By |2013-10-29T13:30:16-04:00October 21st, 2013|Beautiful Doors|11 Comments
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