WW: Emergency Exit
I. Have. No. Words.
Decoded: Securing Parking Garages (September 2017)
Without proper planning, parking garages can present security and life-safety challenges. People who are authorized to use the parking area – or unauthorized people who are able to enter an open parking garage – may attempt to gain access to other floors of the building...
WWYD? Courtyard Doors
In this school it appears that by preventing access to the courtyard, the school is not required to provide free egress from the courtyard...
QQ: Selected Reentry
What is "selected reentry" and when can it be used?
Sneak Peek
I told you we were going to have fun this week, right? Well, what could be more fun than a quiz to help you learn about codes? :D But first, I have to tell you something...
FF: Deadbolt Retrofit
These photos, from Kelly Reese of Allegion, qualify for the double-whammy - Wordless Wednesday AND Fixed-it Friday. But don't worry...it is indeed Friday! Have a great weekend!
Sensor Bars for Egress
Last week a code official contacted me because he had seen some egress doors in a school that were equipped with sensor bars used to release electromagnetic locks...
WW: Mall Exit
Why is it that when something goes wrong with the existing hardware, some facilities use the hardware equivalent of a band-aid rather than repairing or replacing the hardware?
NFPA 101 Appeals and Testimony
As I've mentioned in previous posts, shortly after the NFPA Technical Meeting on June 7th, two appeals were filed. These appeals were submitted in favor of keeping the proposed changes to NFPA 101 that would allow 2 releasing operations instead of 1...
Why two-operation release is not an option – Joseph Hendry Jr., PSP, CLEE
Joseph Hendry Jr., PSP, CLEE has written the guest blog post below, to share his experience in law enforcement regarding human behavior in an emergency. This relates directly to the question of whether NFPA 101 should continue to limit egress doors to one releasing operation or should allow two operations to release the latch.
WW: Essence Superlounge
"At around 8:45 p.m., Captain Michael Flot of the New Orleans Fire Department faced an angry crowd of hundreds outside of the Essence Superlounge to tell them they would not be able to see Xscape that night. 'This is the worst I've ever seen it,' Flot said."
FF: “Please help – I’m stuck in here.”
This is why doors are required to provide free egress. Even doors used by very few people, leading to tiny rooms that may need more security than the average closet.
WW: Party Prep
Rich McKie sent me today's Wordless Wednesday photo of a high school lobby, which was being prepared for a "Dry Grad" overnight graduation party coordinated by a parent committee...
FF: You Get What You Pay For
I have run out of words. Is this the best we can do to secure our classrooms? :(
Decoded: Code Requirements for Electromagnetic Locks
This post was published in the August 2017 issue of Doors & Hardware
WW: Kool-Aid Follow-Up
Last week I posted a photo of the egress side of a "door" through some sheetrock that had been scored. Jonathan Mathew Taylor just sent me this photo of the other side...
Stairwell Reentry Update
Are locks on stair doors required to be hard-wired locks which unlock upon power failure?
WW: Hey Kool-Aid!!!
I don't remember seeing anything in the model codes that supports a Kool Aid Man egress model. Do you?
Cost Savings vs. Life Safety
Promising to cut "red tape," business-friendly politicians evidently judged that cost concerns outweighed the risks of allowing flammable materials to be used in facades...sound familiar?
Stack Pressure (video)
Have you run into problems with the effects of building stack pressure on the operation of doors? Here's a new whiteboard animation video that explains the basics of stack pressure...
The Story Behind Von Duprin
Many of you have heard this story before, but this video is terrific! See if you can catch the original price of panic hardware in the catalog shown in the video! :)
WW: Guest House Egress
This signage designates the egress path from rooms in a small hotel / guest house in a city on the east coast. Note the exit sign over the window inside of one of the (locked) rooms, and instructions to break out the panel in the door...
New Code Changes for Classroom Doors
Now that the NFPA 101 vote has passed, the 2018 model codes will be pretty consistent with regard to classroom security. I pulled together information from the IBC, IFC, and NFPA 101 for this article...
NFPA 101 – The Votes Are In
As many of you know, yesterday was the NFPA Technical Meeting where NFPA members voted to decide whether NFPA 101 should allow two releasing operations for classroom doors, or continue to require one releasing operation to unlatch the door for egress...
A Tale of Two Schools
I read the two news stories below on the same day, which struck me as ironic. When it comes to security and safety, you can take the easy, fast, and cheap approach, or take the time to carefully consider the issues and alternatives and invest in a suitable solution...
Vote for Life Safety
NASFM is certainly aware of the need to protect our schools and businesses from senseless acts of violence, however we feel strongly we must carefully consider the solutions being proposed...
WW: Mall Exit
What do you think? Is this Wordless Wednesday exit visible enough?
WW: ABC7NY – Underground Dance Dangers
Call me naive, but I always assume that when tragedy strikes, people will learn from it and try to avoid similar incidents in the future. Unfortunately, ignorance mixed with greed often stand in the way of life safety...
FF: Mystery in Maine
Here's what I know. At one time, this door was in an isolation ward that was part of a Maine psychiatric hospital campus built in 1957...
Classroom Security Risk Transfer – Paul Timm, PSP
On a fairly regular basis, someone sends me a video clip or a link to a news story, asking, “Have you seen this classroom lockdown device?”
FF: Rebar
The application in these Fixed-it Friday photos looks like a result of poor planning to me. Thank you to Mark Kuhn of Allegion for sending them!
WW Follow-Up
Last week I posted a photo and asked if the signage made the door code-compliant. As many people commented, the short answer is "no." It's hard for me to resist a "teachable moment"...
QQ: Required Swing of Double-Egress Pairs
I could have sworn that I had already answered this question on iDigHardware, but there are almost 2,000 posts and I can't find one that specifically addresses this...Is there a required "hand" for a double-egress pair?
Classroom Security AND Classroom Safety – Why Compromise? (June 2017)
The graphic that will appear with this article in Doors & Hardware illustrates a potential application for existing classroom doors if the 2-operation language is approved...
WW: This door to remain unlocked…
Austin Bammann of Central Indiana Hardware sent me this Wordless Wednesday photo. You may notice that there is signage above the door stating, "This door needs to remain unlocked during business hours." Does this signage make the opening code-compliant? Why, or why not?
I need you.
Let's not look back on this moment in history and think, "If only we had done something..."
WW: Brussels Hotel
This is not the first time I've thought to myself...I hope everyone knows how lucky we are to have (mostly) code-compliant exits in the US...
2-Operation Follow-Up
When a proposal was made to add a reference in Chapter 7 to the exceptions for 2 operations, the Technical Committee on Means of Egress almost unanimously opposed this change...
WW: Exit Bolt
My husband: "Do other people cry on Wednesdays or is it just you?"
WW: BLOCKED Exits
These are truly some of the best Wordless Wednesday photos I've ever seen, and I even got the backstory...
Decoded: Panic Hardware Refresher (May 2017)
It has been a while (6 years!) since I have written about the code requirements that apply to panic hardware in my Decoded column, so it’s time for an update...
WW: Convention Center
I need to make an avatar of me crying, to include with these posts.
WWYD? 1 Operation, or 2?
I need your help. The topic of today's post could affect life safety for decades, and I hope you will read it and leave some feedback...
WW: Army/Navy Store
I received today's Wordless Wednesday photo from Charles Anderson, and yes - he contacted the fire marshal...
Looking Back: Nickel Mines PA School Incident
From the moment a gunman began shooting 10 girls in an Amish schoolhouse last year, 2½ agonizing minutes ticked by before state police were able to force their way into the barricaded building...
Decoded: Egress Requirements for Door Openings (video)
Our next group of whiteboard animation videos is ready!
WW: Blinds
A fire marshal sent me this photo, and I'm Wordless (again). How does anyone think this is acceptable???
FF: Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Happy Fixed-it Friday, and Happy St. Patrick's Day!
WW: Beer Run
How is it possible that NOBODY else seems to notice stuff like this??
Decoded: Recent and Upcoming Changes to the Model Codes (April 2017)
When I started increasing my focus on the code requirements that affect our industry, I looked forward to receiving the new editions of the model codes and standards, so I could page through them and find out what was new...