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.

Fire and Egress Doors in the News

The surprising and sad thing about these news stories that came across my desk this week is that none of these fatal fires were first-time occurrences.  Four people were killed in the Ontario retirement home fire that is the subject of a current inquest, but a total of 45 people have been killed in Ontario retirement home fires since 1980 - the worst record in North America.  There were fourteen people killed in a Peru rehabilitation center fire this week, and 29 more were killed in another rehab center fire in Peru in January.  Nine people died in a karaoke bar fire in Busan, South Korea, and 15 more were killed in another karaoke bar fire in the same city in 2009. 

By |2016-06-07T22:56:39-04:00May 6th, 2012|Fire Doors, Means of Egress|1 Comment
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Universal Studios Orlando

When I was in Florida a couple of weeks ago for the IAPSC conference, it also happened to be school vacation week so I brought the kids along for a visit to my parents' house.  They all survived while I was in Miami Beach, so when I got back from the conference I took them to Universal Studios Islands of Adventure in Orlando.  One of our Florida specwriters, Steve King, had written the hardware spec for the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and I couldn't pass up the chance to check it out.

By |2012-05-04T00:35:28-04:00May 4th, 2012|Beautiful Doors, Door Closers, Doors & Frames, Panic Hardware|2 Comments
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ICC Code Hearings, Dallas

I realize that not everybody is as excited about new code developments as I am, but some of you might want to take a look or a listen...the code development hearings for the IBC/IFC are going on right now, and discussion on the Means of Egress proposals will be starting soon.  The webcast is very clear and you can get a sense of what it's like to be at the hearings, if you're so inclined.  :-)

By |2013-05-01T19:49:20-04:00May 3rd, 2012|Accessibility, Means of Egress|6 Comments
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WWYD? Concealed Closers at the Peabody Opera House

I recently received an email from Steve Needy, who maintains the beautiful and recently-renovated Peabody Opera House in downtown St. Louis.  During the renovation, many of the original (1932) LCN 206 concealed closers were rebuilt and reinstalled.  Steve's problem was that the spring power made some of the doors difficult for some visitors to open, particularly the restroom doors.  Steve asked me how to adjust the closers or if that was even possible.

By |2012-04-24T10:31:37-04:00April 23rd, 2012|Beautiful Doors, Door Closers, WWYD?|26 Comments
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Fire Watch

When I teach classes about fire doors, one of the most common questions is regarding modifying fire doors in the field.  NFPA allows limited modifications to be done in the field, and if doors are to be modified beyond what is allowed by NFPA 80, they are supposed to be taken back to a UL/WH shop, modified, re-labeled, and reinstalled.  This made me wonder about the big hole left in the fire separation while the door is in the shop.  Temporary doors aren't feasible in most cases, because if you're going to go to the trouble and expense of fitting a temporary door into an existing frame, you might as well just replace the existing door instead of modifying it.  The answer might be to post a "fire watch" for the time period that the fire doors are removed.

By |2017-08-18T11:48:56-04:00April 22nd, 2012|Fire Doors|6 Comments
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Ca’ d’Zan Mansion, Ringling Museum – Sarasota, Florida

Since this is school vacation week and I had to work in Miami for a couple of days, I flew the kids down to their grandparents' and now I am taking a few days "off" in sunny Florida.  As most of you know, I'm never completely off...I'm always taking care of email and keeping my eyes open for doors of interest.

By |2012-04-23T11:23:16-04:00April 19th, 2012|Beautiful Doors|1 Comment
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Doors of Miami Beach

I'm spending the night in Miami Beach for the International Association of Professional Security Consultants (IAPSC) conference.  I had some free time this afternoon so I took a drive around looking for some doors to share with you all.  Despite my hunting, almost every commercial door I saw was run-of-the-mill aluminum storefront.  No custom pulls, no fancy glass, nothing ornate...I'm sure they're here somewhere, but I didn't find them.

By |2012-04-18T05:58:10-04:00April 16th, 2012|Fire Doors|19 Comments
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Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem

A story arrived in my inbox today, regarding the tradition of the Holy Fire at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.  The day before Easter each year, clerics emerge from the small room believed to be the site of Jesus' tomb with a flame which is then spread among the pilgrims crowding the church and out to those gathered on the street.

By |2014-04-26T19:37:19-04:00April 15th, 2012|Beautiful Doors, Historical, Means of Egress|3 Comments
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Join the Conversation

In the last month there have been almost 8,000 visits to iDigHardware...about a 30% increase over the same period last year.  That's so exciting!!  I was helping out with a class today (Preparing for a Fire Door Inspection taught by Jeff Tock of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies), and several people mentioned that they were frequent visitors to the site.  One told me that I "got him hooked on Doors & Hardware magazine" (when was the last time you heard that?).  During the class I received an email that cracked me up, which read in part:

By |2014-10-08T09:02:12-04:00April 12th, 2012|General Info|1 Comment
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WWYD: Access Control on Sliding Doors

Jon Bossie of Surveillance Specialties sent me the photos below to see if any of my readers had ideas about how to add access control to these sliding doors.  He and I both have some thoughts but maybe there's something we haven't considered.  The doors are mounted on the outside face of the wall, each serving an individual office.  When the door is closed, it overlaps the aluminum frame face.  There is currently no method of securing the doors.  WWYD?

By |2012-04-12T21:46:36-04:00April 10th, 2012|Electrified Hardware, WWYD?|33 Comments
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Creative Application: Pair with Electric Strike

As many of you know, I was away last week to do some specwriter training.  While I thoroughly enjoyed hanging with some of my peeps for a few days (not to mention 12 hours in the car with 3 of them), my email really piled up.  I was so happy to find these photos in my emailbox, so I could put up a quick blog post.

By |2012-04-08T23:27:50-04:00April 8th, 2012|Doors Gone Wrong, Electrified Hardware|3 Comments
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Especially for Architects and Specifiers

Is it my imagination or do most architects wait until the last possible moment to ask for help with their hardware specifications?  Why is that??  My theory is that most of them hate hardware so much that they can't bear to look at it or think about it until it's almost too late.  I feel the same way about my taxes.  Nope, I haven't done them yet.  I wonder if H&R Block will take good care of me when I call on April 14th.

By |2014-04-29T12:11:31-04:00April 2nd, 2012|General Info|10 Comments
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WWYD: Hotel Electric Room

UPDATE:  This application was discussed at length on the Building Codes Forum, so go check it out to see what the AHJs had to say.  The final decision was that the door should have been a 20-minute door, even if the contents of the electric room did not require a higher rating.  As a 20-minute door it should have been self-closing and self-latching. 

By |2014-11-25T23:24:22-05:00March 25th, 2012|FDAI, Fire Doors|14 Comments
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Follow-Up: 20 Minute Fire Doors

Last week I posted some photos of a pair of 20-minute doors with some "issues," and I want to thank everyone who left comments with their thoughts on the situation.  Often, people tell me that they know something is required but aren't sure where to find it written, so I thought it would be good to follow up on what the issues were and why, as well as addressing some of the comments.

By |2013-02-14T14:43:07-05:00March 19th, 2012|FDAI, Fire Doors|12 Comments
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WW: Hockey Rink Egress

I was working on a different post but that one will have to wait.  I just received these photos, it's Wordless Wednesday, and I am wordless (yes, again).  This is an exit for a hockey rink, sent in by an anonymous reader.  Hockey rinks are notoriously tough on their doors and hardware, but this "solution" makes me want to cry.

By |2012-03-19T09:29:51-04:00March 14th, 2012|Means of Egress, Panic Hardware, Wordless Wednesday|2 Comments
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More Reader Photos

These ALL came from Jeff Tock, one of our national trainers who spends most weeks traveling around conducting classes and sees a lot of doors in the process.  Jeff will be here in New England in a few weeks conducting the "Preparing for a Fire Door Inspection" class for facilities.  If you work for a hospital, school, university, or other type of facility in the area and want to make sure that you're prepared, let me know and I'll put you on the invitation list.

By |2012-03-12T23:15:43-04:00March 12th, 2012|Fire Doors, Locks & Keys, Panic Hardware, Reader Photos|2 Comments
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The Ultimate Test – Take II

Remember the old video of the various types of exit devices being run over by a fire truck?  It's a classic, and I still get the urge to watch it every so often..."I am examining the [flattened] device.  It is not working."  You could make the case that a panic device doesn't need to withstand the weight of a fire truck, but I've seen some herds of kids run out of school at the end of the day that are almost as tough.

By |2012-03-12T15:11:29-04:00March 12th, 2012|Panic Hardware, Videos|5 Comments
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Reducing Risk of Violence in Schools

With 3 young kids in school and spending a fair amount of time in school buildings, school shootings hit very close to home for me.  The most recent shootings in Chardon, Ohio resulting in the death of 3 students are just so senseless and tragic.  The raw pain of the victims' parents is excruciating to watch.

By |2014-11-25T23:27:31-05:00March 1st, 2012|General Info|1 Comment
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Battleship Cove – Fall River, Massachusetts

Whenever we're on a family road trip, we try to find cool places to stop along the way to break up the ride.  Today we went to Battleship Cove, the world's largest historic naval ship exhibit.  The museum is home to the destroyer USS Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., the USS Lionfish submarine, the battleship USS Massachusetts, and several other vehicles.  It's really an amazing place, and the kids loved looking at all the different rooms, many of which were set up as they would have been while the ships were occupied.

By |2013-02-08T23:32:19-05:00February 22nd, 2012|Door Closers, Locks & Keys, Means of Egress, Road Trips|0 Comments
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Prison Egress

Earlier this week I read several news reports of a disastrous fire in an overcrowded Honduras prison, where hundreds of prisoners died.  Many of them remained locked in their cells because there was reportedly only one staff member who had keys to the cells, and he left in the midst of the panic.  It made me wonder about the current code requirements for egress in prisons.  I know it's not something most of us encounter regularly, but inquiring minds want to know.

By |2014-11-25T23:25:43-05:00February 17th, 2012|Means of Egress|4 Comments
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FDAI – Florida

The 2010 Florida Fire Prevention Code, effective December 31, 2011, requires fire doors to be maintained in accordance with NFPA 80 and references the 2007 edition of that standard in Chapter 2 - Referenced Publications.  The 2007 edition of NFPA 80 requires fire door assemblies to be inspected annually as part of the maintenance requirements, and the requirements for annual inspections of fire doors are specifically indicated in the 2010 Florida Fire Prevention Code (see 12.4 below).  Fire door assemblies in new and existing facilities are to be inspected annually per the 11 criteria listed below, and a written record kept for review by the AHJ.  Any deficiencies must be corrected "without delay."  (Click here for FDAI FAQs.)

By |2015-11-25T10:06:16-05:00February 14th, 2012|FDAI, Means of Egress|0 Comments
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Mullions…What’s not to love??

Way back in hardware school we were taught that rim panic hardware with a removable mullion is the most secure and maintenance-free application for a pair of doors.  Most facilities prefer mullions instead of vertical rod panic hardware, which can be difficult to install and to keep properly adjusted.  On the other hand, most architects request concealed vertical rod panic hardware, to avoid seeing the mullion or rods.  I think the benefits of the mullion far outweigh any aesthetic issues.

By |2018-08-13T13:59:50-04:00February 8th, 2012|Panic Hardware|9 Comments
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Fractured Fairy Tales: Electrified Hardware and LEED®

Every so often I love to have a guest blogger write a post for me, so I can have the night off to do something fun and exciting like attend a PTO meeting (sad, right?).  My colleague, Steve Ostapower, was recently involved in a situation where the power usage of a Von Duprin EL (electric latch retraction) device was questioned, and I asked him to share his findings with you (Thanks Steve!).  Enjoy!

By |2013-12-04T23:50:16-05:00February 2nd, 2012|Electrified Hardware|2 Comments
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Hartford Hospital Fire (Video)

December 8th, 2011, was the 50-year anniversary of a fire at Hartford Hospital which caused the death of 16 patients, staff, and visitors, and resulted in many important changes to code requirements for hospital construction.  Connecticut Public Television has just released a video about the tragedy and the resulting code changes.  Other than the statement "all patient room doors must have positively latching hinges," it's a great piece.

By |2012-01-31T21:57:16-05:00February 1st, 2012|Fire Doors, Videos|3 Comments
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It’s Official!

It’s official – I have a new job (woohoo!).  For the last 3 years while I’ve been getting to know all of you and putting as much code/application information on this site as possible, I have also been managing our specification team for New England.  At times it has been a struggle to do both, hence the late-night blog posts.

By |2012-01-27T21:55:18-05:00January 26th, 2012|General Info|51 Comments
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Edge Channels

Even though I risked being called a weirdo by my colleagues, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to try to learn more about the 5" wide edge channels that are sometimes required on fire-rated wood doors with concealed vertical rod exit devices.  When these channels show up on the jobsite without warning, architects tend to be less than pleased.  The interesting thing about these doors is that although they have the channels and fire exit hardware, there are no visible labels on the doors or frames.  It's possible that the door label is on top, although the concealed closer channels take up most of the real estate up there.  We explored ways to check the top of these super-tall doors, but it will have to remain a mystery unless we can sweet-talk our way onto the lift they use to change the lightbulbs.

By |2017-03-22T08:41:27-04:00January 25th, 2012|Fire Doors, Panic Hardware|19 Comments
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Access-Controlled Egress Doors

I'm in San Antonio, Texas at a beautiful hotel and conference center for our annual sales meeting, and there are A LOT of doors with mag-locks.  Check out the coordination of the bank of pairs below...concealed closers, overhead stops, and mag-locks all coexisting in the same space.  Notice that the mag-locks have a split armature to save space vs. a double-magnet.  Every pair has a motion sensor, a push button, and a key switch, presumably for locking and unlocking the mag-lock.  I would not typically specify a separate key switch for each opening in a bank of doors, but nobody asked me.

By |2012-01-27T21:55:18-05:00January 24th, 2012|Electrified Hardware|9 Comments
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