Minimum Egress Width
What do you think about the width of the aisle leading to this restaurant exit - is it sufficient? And can you spot the other code issue with this door?
FF: Auditorium Exit
How quickly we forget the lessons learned in tragic events such as the fires at the Iroquois Theatre and the Cocoanut Grove Nightclub. If you see something, say something!
Live Rescue: “You can come out now.”
I know that many of us notice funky hardware applications on TV and in movies...here's one that we can actually learn a few things from.
WW: Another Retail Exit
Charles Anderson sent me the photos below, of a "secondary" exit from a retail store. I know it's Wordless Wednesday, but here's something you should know...
FF: Wordless
I'm Wordless about today's Fixed-it Friday photo. Considering that this is a retail store, I'm not even sure how/why this happened. Any theories?
WW: Extra Patient Room
During a flu epidemic in 1974, hospital staff was desperate to accommodate the patients needing treatment. Luckily, someone was watching out for the life safety of all of the hospital's occupants.
FF: Church Exit
Looking past the Fixed-it Friday "fix" and the non-code-compliant hardware, what do you think about the design of this opening? Are these exit doors easily identifiable?
Double-Cylinder Deadbolts Revisited
Can a double-cylinder deadbolt be installed on a multi-stall restroom door in an office building? Of course not! But wait...are you sure about that?
FF: Trashed Exit
Chris Stokes of Precision Doors and Hardware sent me today's Fixed-it Friday photos, taken in a gas station/convenience store. At first, this looks like careless placement of a trash can...
WW: Danger – Construction Zone
We need to always be on the lookout for situations like these - our attention to these problems can affect the safety of building occupants. #seesomethingsaysomething
WWYD? Walk-In Closet
Is the door serving a walk-in closet in an apartment or condominium required to comply with the means of egress requirements of the IBC? WWYD?
Lock Function Conversion Kits
If an existing lockset on a classroom door requires a teacher to open the door when locking it (potentially exposing the teacher to danger), there is a way to change the lock function at a reasonable price.
Training Alert: Decoded Series – Egress and Life Safety
The pre-recorded Decoded classes do not offer AIA credit, but the live webinars do! There's one coming up in a few weeks...
Indicator Deadbolt Modification
This is a "pod" in an airport, to be used by nursing moms. I've seen them myself, but the one I looked at only had the keypad lock and did not have the separate deadbolt.
NFPA 101 – TIA 1436
This is an important post about a change that has been made to NFPA 101-2018, regarding the allowable number of operations to unlatch a classroom door.
WW: Library Theater
This is the only door leading to a small auditorium located in the children's section of the local library. I don't have a problem with the castle theme, since this is the outside of the door. Anyone see the issue?
WW: Wowza.
Steve Griffis of Federal Lock and Safe sent me today's Wordless Wednesday photos. There's not much else I can say. How about you? #wordless
Two Schools of Thought
Wilson County Schools: “We don’t use barricaded door hardware,” Wilson County Director of Safety Steve Spencer said. “The reason is...
WW: Huh?
What is this exit sign in a convention center trying to tell us? Which way is the exit? I'd love to hear your theories, because I don't have any.
NFPA Journal – Learn Something New: Special Amusement Buildings
This post links to valuable information from NFPA about life safety requirements for escape rooms and other special amusement buildings, along with proposed code changes.
FF: Italy Finale
Yesterday I posted a Fixed-it Friday photo even though it was Thursday, but don't worry! I saved up some FF photos during my trip to Italy, and I'm sharing them all today!
WW: Function Fix
Check out this Wordless Wednesday application from our hotel in Milan. This could end badly if there is ever a fire within this area which has a handful of hotel rooms.
Top 10 – Decoded: Calculating the Occupant Load
The most popular post on iDigHardware in the last 10 years is an article that isn't even about doors or hardware. That may be the reason for it's popularity.
Allegion Code Reference Guide
The day has finally arrived. The updated Allegion Code Reference Guide is ready - 40 pages of code information that you can download for free!
WW: Temporary Locking Devices
Do you see what I see? THIS is why temporary locking devices should not be approved for doors serving a means of egress. They often become permanent locking devices!
Classroom Lockdown Modification
Will this screen door latch keep out a school shooter? Or maybe two would be sufficient? Hopefully we'll never have to find out.
FF: Lift Bar to Exit
This is an egress door serving a stadium. Someone "fixed-it" from a security standpoint, but what about egress? This requires a key AND special knowledge and effort!
WWYD? Is a 15-second delay too long?
Should the model codes be modified to require immediate egress through doors with delayed egress locks during emergencies other than fires?
Decoded: Update on Roof Doors (August 2019)
A change to the 2018 edition of the International Building Code (IBC) and the International Fire Code (IFC) helps to establish the intent of these codes with regard to roof doors.
FF: Panic Privacy
This door - yes, with panic hardware - is on a restroom in Italy. The non-code-compliant hook modification solves the privacy problem. :|
FF: Just wrench it open.
Got any old locksets, deadbolts, panic hardware or electrified hardware laying around? It would be a great help for firefighter training! Oh - and it's also Fixed-it Friday!
WW: Push Button to Exit
Warning: Today's Wordless Wednesday post is not wordless. Check out the video and scroll down for the words.
Colorado State Capitol Building – Denver
Have you visited your state capitol building to check out the doors and hardware? I'm adding locations to my bucket list!
UNCC ‘One-Button’ Lockdown
When a shooting occurred at the University of North Carolina Charlotte last week, an electronic locking system was already in place that allowed the campus to be locked down in seconds.
ABC15: Hundreds of padlocks installed on prison cell doors
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this news story from ABC 15 in Arizona, about the fire and safety concerns associated with installing padlocks on prison cell doors.
Kitsap Sun: Lawsuit alleges Bremerton teacher confined alone in classroom with violent student
It's only a matter of time before we see the unintended consequences of non-code-compliant, untested, unregulated security devices.
FF: Why is this unacceptable?
I received this photo from Audrey Weiser of DHI - she was looking for some code language that would clearly state that this application is not allowed. Unfortunately, there isn't anything specific (that I can think of) in the model codes.
WW: Convenient Storage Space
Yes, this is supposed to lead to an exit - an exterior stair from the second floor of a function space. #wordless
Barricade Devices – Three Perspectives
These 3 perspectives showed up in my Google Alerts today - a school district using barricade devices, a man working in a school who wanted to use barricading when he committed a shooting, and the legal perspective. Powerful.
WW: Wordless…
Jeff Rapp of Wilkus Architects sent me today's Wordless Wednesday photos. I hope whatever this facility is trying to protect is worth the risk. :(
New York in the News
These news stories both happen to be from New York City, and both address topics that made me go hmmm... What do you think?
WW: Let’s Book!
I have had requests for help specifying doors like this, but not on a marked exit! This door is serving a business occupancy. What do you think - OK, or NO WAY?
AP News: ‘It doesn’t open’
Fifty people died in the shootings at the two mosques in Christchurch. How many could have survived if the egress door had allowed immediate evacuation?
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Tragedy
This week marks the anniversary of a tragic fire that heavily impacted life safety codes and requirements for worker safety. It's important to understand these tragedies, to avoid repeating them.
Decoded: Why Barricade Devices? (May 2019)
Why would a school district consider using unregulated security devices, given the associated risk and liability? The answer may surprise you.
WW: Please use other door.
When my coworker mentioned this door to two different employees, they said they have brought it up with the manager, but the decision was "above their pay grade"...
Wicked Local: School’s Locks Violate Codes
A news report hit my inbox a few days ago, which discussed a security situation in a Massachusetts elementary school; some classroom barricade devices had been installed in 2014...
FF: Hard-Wired Exit
Take a look at these egress doors serving a large arena. The struggle for security is real, but we can't forget about life-safety in the process!
WW: Solve for Tomorrow Competition
I love the idea of putting our heads together to search for solutions, but inventors need to consider authorized access, free egress, and accessibility, in addition to security.
WW: Trampoline Park
I get it. The trampoline park needs to keep kids from eloping. What would you propose as a solution?