While doing some research about special amusements and the applicable code requirements, I was reminded that the 37th anniversary of a special amusements tragedy recently passed; 8 teenagers lost their lives in this fire.
You know me...when I go somewhere new, I never pass up the chance to share photos of the interesting doors I encounter. Unfortunately, my latest trip was a 3-night stay in the local hospital. It's always something.
Several colleges and universities approached Allegion to find a solution for individual lockdown of doors with panic hardware and access control. For doors with Von Duprin QEL devices, the Emergency Secure Lockdown (ESL) feature is the answer.
It's almost swimming pool season! I have updated a past blog post about changes to doors serving pools, spas, and hot tubs to be published as my next Decoded column in Door Security + Safety Magazine.
Stuart Hurwitz shared today's Wordless Wednesday photo with me...yet another retail store where the manager has no idea that egress doors need to be visible and the means of egress must be clear.
For years, I have loved the locks on the restroom stall doors in one of my favorite restaurants, but I don't think I've shared them here before. (I know...it's a weird thing to love.)
Today's Quick Question: Can a threshold be used to address oversized clearance at the bottom of a fire door? What do you think?
I wrote about this change during the 2021 code development cycle, but this post includes the new excerpt from the IBC that requires automatic operators at public entrances. This would be an expensive miss on a project, so just a heads-up.
In my opinion, removing the fire door assembly inspection requirements through a state modification of the model codes is detrimental to the safety of building occupants. What do you think?
My next Decoded article focuses on safety requirements to consider while addressing school security. And while we're on the subject, Safe and Sound Schools is conducting their 4th survey on the National State of School Safety, and I invite you to participate.
These doors would be nearly impossible to open in an emergency...they require special knowledge and effort, coordination and dexterity, and the hardware is far above the allowable range. #wordless
As I talk to people about fire door assembly inspection, two sides of the discussion have emerged. Many understand the increased life safety and fire protection provided by code-compliant fire doors - others think the deficiencies are too overwhelming to address.
Great News! UL has published an article to clarify the different UL listings that apply to electrified hardware. This should help with the confusion caused by the model code requirements for the UL 294 listing on certain types of systems.
Past fires in hospitals and nursing homes - and the resulting fatalities - have shaped the codes that we use today. Although today’s codes do not typically require patient room doors to be fire door assemblies, these doors provide a critical layer of protection for patients.
Questions about double-egress cross-corridor pairs in health care facilities arise frequently, so I have updated this article to reflect the current requirements of the model codes.
Do you see what I see in these Fixed-it Friday photos? It's hard to know whether this was done to secure these doors against intruders or to prevent elopement of young students, but either way it's a problem.
Do you know the difference between these two types of systems - where they're allowed, what purposes they serve, and all of the code requirements that apply? This presentation covers these systems in detail.
I'll get back to writing about the codes soon, but I think we could all use a virtual road trip to see some beautiful doors. Check out the variety of doors I found at a local bazaar last weekend!
Today's Quick Question: If an area requires two or more exit access doors because of the calculated occupant load, how far apart do those egress doors need to be?
Although control vestibules are not currently addressed in the model codes, my next Decoded article covers some of the considerations for the design of these systems, before submission to the AHJ for approval.
There were plenty of times over the years when my kids reluctantly tolerated my "teachable moments" about life safety. I'm so happy to know that some of it stuck! I hope you are talking to your family and friends about doors! :-)
When I saw this photo, I had flashbacks to all of the times architects asked me to specify doors with other materials attached to them - wood planks, decorative plates, even brick (that was a hard no). What do you think about this application?
After Tuesday's post about a code change, several people asked me how to tell when panic hardware was required for doors serving a swimming pool enclosure. I decided to create another "Apply It" post and let you work it out.
If you have a garage attached to your home, it is very likely that the swinging door between the garage and the house is required by code to be a 20-minute fire door assembly or the equivalent. Here's why...
The lever handle in today's Wordless Wednesday photo posted by Richard Howard on the Crap Locksmithing Facebook page is outside of the allowable mounting height range - by a long shot!
It's hard to believe that it has been so many months since we've been able to gather in a classroom together, but during that time Allegion has provided more than 150 online classes. Here's what's coming up this week...
Beautiful doors and hard cider...two of my favorite things. But being who I am, I wondered whether the doors were code-compliant, since the model codes allow sliding doors to be used in a means of egress when the occupant load is 10 people or less.
At first glance this may look like just another creative Fixed-it Friday alteration, but upon deeper investigation it's a cringe-worthy Wordless Wednesday application. How will this opening protective perform during a fire? Who knows??
I have written specs for several projects with SCIF doors, but I learned more about the federal specifications and design requirements while writing my next Decoded article for Door Security + Safety's military and government issue...
Today's Quick Question: When does a door opening need a coordinator - and what IS a coordinator, anyway?? Can you help with some images or video to help illustrate this tough-to-explain concept?
In 2020, iDigHardware readers visited the site more than half a million times and spent thousands of hours reading my posts and articles. These are the most popular posts of 2020...did you miss any?
