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.

The Station Movie

Last month I wrote about the first episode of The Station Movie, a video series posted online in segments about the Station Nightclub fire that occurred 10 years ago and took the lives of 100 people and injured more than 200 others.  The pain of the survivors is a reminder of why we need to continue to be vigilant about code requirements, including those pertaining to egress and fire protection.  Here are the next 3 episodes:

By |2013-03-15T12:07:49-04:00March 15th, 2013|Historical, Means of Egress|3 Comments

Solution for Oversized Undercuts

Last year as one of my projects neared completion, the architect called me to say that the bottom latches of the fire exit hardware were not long enough to reach the floor-mounted strikes.  This is a pretty common problem because that clearance needs to be very tight for the latch/strike templating - sometimes as little as 1/4" between the bottom of the door and the surface where the strike is mounted.

By |2016-04-12T17:59:24-04:00March 14th, 2013|Fire Doors|3 Comments

Effects of Earthquake Damage on Fire Safety

While this test report was not heavy on door-related data, I thought some of you would enjoy reading about this groundbreaking study which looked at how a test building was affected by several simulated earthquakes, and then how the damaged building's fire safety systems performed in a series of fire tests.  I found the video below fascinating:

By |2013-05-01T19:48:57-04:00March 12th, 2013|Fire Doors, Health Care, Videos|2 Comments

Everywhere I Go – Church Edition

My husband has grown accustomed to me yelling, "Stop the car!" when I see a door of interest.  We actually had to circle the block and come back to this one in Nashville, Tennessee.  Judging from the entrance, I thought there might be some nice doors...I couldn't process what I was seeing in time to get him to pull over.  This is not code-compliant, people!  The elevator door was purty though.

School Security Seminars with Paul Timm

Last month I mentioned a PBS special on school security called The Path to Violence.  This show is currently available on PBS.org for online viewing (embedded below).  Paul Timm is a board certified Physical Security Professional (PSP), the president of RETA Security, Inc., and one of the nation's leading experts in school and campus safety, and appears in this PBS special as well as one of the news stories I posted previously.

By |2014-10-08T08:59:09-04:00March 5th, 2013|School Security|0 Comments

Kolkata Market Fire

This post should have been on Wordless Wednesday, because I'm not sure what to say that I haven't already said.  For the 8th time in 3 years, a major fire in Kolkata, India, has resulted in multiple fatalities.  At least 19 people were killed (one news report says 28) with 50 people injured, when an "illegal" market burned.  This market has been in existence for over 25 years, and the building is 5 stories tall, so I don't know how the government can claim ignorance of the problems.

By |2013-03-06T11:27:23-05:00February 28th, 2013|Means of Egress|1 Comment

IDH-IHH is 4 years old!

I can hardly believe that it has been 4 years since I wrote the very first post on this site.  What's most amazing to me is that even though I have posted at least 3 times per week, for a total of 759 published posts to date, I still have a long list of topics to write about.  We've always known that hardware is complicated, but who knew I could write about it 759 times and still have something to say?

By |2016-01-27T13:18:38-05:00February 25th, 2013|General Info|11 Comments

Are you a CDT yet?

I have quite a few letters after my name.  They won't all fit on my business card, and my email signature looks silly if I include all of them.  There are some that I can use just for joining an organization and paying my annual membership fee, which seems too easy.  But I proudly display the designations for the certifications I've achieved, because they all represent many years of experience, hours of studying, and rigorous tests.  When someone sees my business card or email signature for the first time, they often key in on the designations they're familiar with.  Those certifications immediately communicate that I have some level of knowledge about the topic - that I made the investment to achieve the certification.  Obviously the letters don't say everything about who I am, but they help with the first impression and then it's up to me.

By |2013-03-11T19:06:23-04:00February 21st, 2013|General Info|4 Comments

Remembering the Station Nightclub Fire

I can't believe it has been 10 years since the morning I woke up, turned on the TV, and saw the aftermath of the deadly fire that killed 100 people and injured 200 others at the Station Nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island.  The recent news story below shocks me but it also underscores the fact that although we react when tragedy strikes, we often let our guard down as time goes on.  We have to remain vigilant or history will repeat itself again and again.

By |2014-03-28T16:54:41-04:00February 19th, 2013|Historical, Means of Egress|3 Comments

School Security Follow-Up

In the months since the tragedy at Sandy Hook School in Newtown, Connecticut, there have been renewed efforts on the part of many schools to improve their security and better protect students, staff, and visitors.  While I'm very glad to see the focus on these improvements, I'm also very concerned about some well-meaning but misguided efforts that I've come across.  This post is not meant as an attack on any particular product or idea, but a reminder that as we secure these facilities, we must not forget about the other codes affecting the same doors that are being addressed.

By |2016-11-23T20:17:50-05:00February 11th, 2013|Fire Doors, Locks & Keys, Means of Egress|14 Comments

The Tampa Bay Hotel (Interior) – Tampa, Florida

I'm back in the snowy north, hunkered down while the snow piles up.  This is my last post from my trip to Tampa.  For next week I'm working on another post about glass (yes, there's more!), as well as a post about school security - particularly the "creative" and often non-code-compliant methods I've seen a lot of lately.  If you've run into any interesting security modifications for schools, send them along!  Have a great weekend all!

By |2015-12-30T09:44:39-05:00February 8th, 2013|Beautiful Doors, Road Trips|7 Comments

The Tampa Theatre – Tampa, Florida

This is a travel week for me - I'm in Tampa, Florida for the winter meeting of the Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association (BHMA - check out their new website!).  I have more posts in the works on school security and wired glass, but while I'm on the road, you know that I like to share the cool doors that I see with all of you.  I'll get back to the code-related posts next week.

By |2014-11-25T23:27:35-05:00February 5th, 2013|Beautiful Doors, Road Trips|6 Comments

More Wired Glass in the News

A couple of weeks ago I started a series of blog posts about the hazards of traditional wired glass.  I showed you some examples of traditional wired glass installed where it shouldn't be, and linked to some news reports which described incidents involving traditional wired glass.  In case those didn't convince you that we have a problem, here are a couple more:

By |2013-01-28T15:22:41-05:00January 28th, 2013|Glass|2 Comments

Kiss Nightclub – Santa Maria, Brazil

I woke up this morning to yet another nightclub tragedy - this time in Santa Maria, Brazil.  This fire shared common issues with many of the past nightclub fires - a high occupant load, ignition of flammable foam or decorations, no working sprinklers, insufficient or unmarked exits, and a heartbreakingly-high loss of life.  The death toll currently stands at 233.  I can't help but imagine the bodies of the young people lined up in the make-shift morgue, with their cell phones ringing and ringing as their friends and family search for them.

By |2016-03-16T10:29:52-04:00January 26th, 2013|News, Panic Hardware|13 Comments

Bok Tower Brass Door – Lake Wales, Florida

On my way back from Bradenton to Orlando, I had to stop and see the gorgeous door at the Bok Tower Gardens.  The gardens have to be one of the most beautiful and tranquil places I've visited...luckily I was there early, before the families started arriving or it may have been less tranquil.  The 50-acre garden was established in 1929, by Edward W. Bok as a gift to the American people, and was designed by noted landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead Jr.

By |2013-08-01T15:25:59-04:00January 22nd, 2013|Beautiful Doors|5 Comments

Architectural Salvage

Sorry for the interruption in my series on wired glass - I will continue it shortly.  But this is a travel week for me, and I couldn't fly to sunny Florida without a quick trip to see my mom.  Today I dragged her to an architectural salvage company to see if they had any interesting old doors and hardware.  They had A LOT of doors - some really ornate and huge, and a room full of hardware...

By |2013-01-19T23:19:08-05:00January 19th, 2013|Beautiful Doors, Means of Egress|8 Comments

Recent Announcement from Ingersoll Rand

A few weeks ago, Ingersoll Rand announced plans to spin off the combined commercial and residential security businesses into a new standalone publicly held company.  I immediately started getting calls and emails from blog readers asking what this meant to me and to our other employees, the brands, and this website.  One hardware distributor said, “I can’t imagine the hardware business without Schlage, LCN, and Von Duprin in it!”  I was very touched by the concern for our people and products.

By |2013-01-04T07:02:50-05:00January 4th, 2013|General Info|4 Comments

WWYD? Gate Operator

This is a tough one.  It's for a project currently nearing occupancy, so I would love any comments or thoughts you have on a solution.  An automatic operator is required because of maneuvering clearance / level landing issues.  The gate is already in place.  A low energy operator is preferred.  The gate is exposed to the weather.  Any ideas?  If you need more information, ask away!

By |2013-02-13T18:46:26-05:00January 3rd, 2013|Gates, WWYD?|10 Comments

Starry Night

I think this is the longest I've gone without posting!  I hope you all had a great New Year's Eve!  I figured I could get some good relaxation time in during the holiday week, then I promptly injured a ligament in my ankle, which led to a major bout of sciatica that flattened me for days.  I'm hoping 2013 gets better!

By |2016-11-23T20:17:40-05:00January 2nd, 2013|Beautiful Doors, Locks & Keys|10 Comments

Early Christmas Present

I'm pretty sure I asked for a PAIR of boots for Christmas, but Santa must have misunderstood.  I ended up with one walking boot after falling off of running fountain while trying to take the perfect photo of a door for y'all.  OK...actually I stepped off a little lip in a walkway while checking into our hotel in the dark and did some ligament damage.  We won't know the extent of the damage until the swelling goes down.  BUT - I did get a photo.

By |2012-12-24T17:53:39-05:00December 24th, 2012|Fire Doors, Means of Egress|25 Comments

Happy Holidays

For the last 8 years, I have coordinated a holiday gift drive along with my coworkers, family, and friends for the residents of our local family shelter and other families in need.  This year we provided gifts for 75 kids and parents!  When I went to the shelter with a load to drop off, I saw the sign below.  I asked the director if they had a close call and she said, with a very grave look in her eyes, "more than one."

By |2013-12-04T23:49:42-05:00December 14th, 2012|Door Closers, Videos|5 Comments
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