WW: Airport Emergency Exit
On my way to Tucson I had a layover, and every single emergency exit door was set up similar to this one. Thoughts?
WW: Day Care Fire Exit
This is the emergency exit for a day care center, sent in by Dwight Isaacs of US Homeware Inc. If you look closely, you'll see that the latch is up near the top of the jamb post, out of reach of the kids. This seems like it could be a viable solution, except that in another situation when I asked all of my code official pals about how I could prevent a child with special needs from exiting out of a school without permission, most of them said that they would not allow a latch mounted above the range mandated by code.
Fire and Egress Doors in the News
Here are some recent news stories you might be interested in reading...
WW: Vertical (Not Vertical Rod) Panics
I couldn't have said it better myself..."Mullion? Who needs a mullion when you can just turn the exit devices 90 degrees?" From Chris Steward of Steward Steel, by way of Jim Phillips of SBS Associates.
WW: Zoo Exit
Whatcha think? Is this exit visible enough?
Garment Factory Fire – Karachi, Pakistan
Since this blog began, it has had visitors from 165 countries. I've been contacted by readers from outside of the United States, and have heard first-hand of door and hardware professionals in other countries using the site as a resource. That amazes me.
WW: Emergency Lighting
In case you're wondering, I do know that it's not Wednesday, but I'm never actually Wordless either.
Fire and Egress Doors in the News
Free Webinar: NFPA 80, Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Swinging Fire Doors
Q&A: Testing Delayed Egress Locks
Question: Is there a code requirement for how often the delayed egress hardware in my facility must be tested?
No Special Knowledge or Effort
Here's a little something to enjoy with your morning coffee. Most of us are aware of the requirement for egress doors to be able to be unlocked/unlatched without a key, tool, or special knowledge or effort, but sometimes this requirement is overlooked, especially when hardware is retrofitted on an existing door.
WWYD? Double-Egress Pair
This is an actual problem on a current project, and I'm hoping some of you will have ideas to help out. The doors and a portion of the hardware have already been installed, and the remaining hardware is on-site. It's a double-egress pair in a health-care facility, and it is equipped with a system to prevent patients with Alzheimer's Disease or other conditions from "eloping". There is a sensor in the vicinity of the doors which detects an approaching occupant wearing a transmitter bracelet, and when an occupant is detected the system automatically arms the delayed egress locks, which prevent the patient from leaving the unit before staff members can arrive.
WWYD? Theater Security
As I read about the terrible movie theater tragedy in Aurora, Colorado, I thought about things from a door hardware consultant's perspective. Could future tragedies be prevented by changing the way we think about the hardware on movie theater exits? Because the suspect allegedly propped open the exit door so he could return during the movie with guns, explosive chemicals, and a protective vest, would monitoring or alarming the emergency exit have thwarted his attack?
Q&A: Panic Hardware vs. Fire Exit Hardware
Question: What's the difference between panic hardware and fire exit hardware? And what's an exit device?
Decoded: Doors with Access Control (October 2012)
This post was printed in the October 2012 issue of Doors & Hardware
Reader Photos
I'll be posting some Moroccan door photos soon, but here are some reader photos to tide you over.
Decoded: Fail Safe vs. Fail Secure – When and Where?
This post was printed in the August 2012 issue of Doors & Hardware
WW: 15 Minutes to Freedom
If you don't know why this sign leaves me wordless, read this post.
Retail Store Entrance – Fire Doors?
If you've been reading this blog for a while, you may remember that our annual Fathers Day tradition is to go to Ogunquit, Maine, walk along the Marginal Way, do some shopping, have lunch, and then play on the beach (here are some photos from last year).
Cafeteria Door – Follow Up
Remember this door from my trip to the science museum last week? I asked what was wrong with it and several of you had good ideas.
Decoded: Mounting Heights for Door Hardware
This post was printed in the July 2012 issue of Doors & Hardware
Science Museum
My youngest daughter graduated from kindergarten today, so we played hookey and took her to the Museum of Science. I didn't forget about y'all though. Here are a few photos from the trip.
WW: Visible Exit?
What do you think of this exit from a large Assembly occupancy in England? Are the operable doors visible enough for egress purposes?
Keyes Life Safety Compliance
I met Brad Keyes a couple of years ago when he emailed me to ask about the requirements for the annual inspection of fire doors. Since then, Brad has become my trusted resource on health care life safety requirements. He has started a blog for his health care consulting firm (KeyesLifeSafety.com), and covers various topics related to health care, including some posts about doors. If you have a question for Brad and don't find the answer on his blog, he is very generous with his time and will likely answer your question if you submit it using the link on his site. He is an expert on NFPA 101 - The Life Safety Code, and is my go-to guy for all things health care.
Everywhere I Go Again
More doors from my (local) travels...
Everywhere I Go
As always, I've been noticing interesting doors everywhere I go...
Prevention Points: Ripped from the Headlines
Sometimes I feel like maybe I'm a little *too* passionate (borderline weird) when it comes to doors and their code issues. Today I struggled with whether or not to call the fire marshal regarding the indoor playground I posted about earlier in the week. At the urging of some AHJs in other parts of the country, I did. It feels like tattle-taling, but I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened. It probably won't, but what if?
Indoor Playground
I realize that I'm probably pickier than most when it comes to doors. I notice things that almost nobody else does (except some of you!). Well, I recently attended a preschool function at a local indoor playground, and I was shocked by what I saw. The facility is relatively new and must have been inspected when it was renovated. The place is huge, and meant for zillions of kids and their parents to play indoors - therefore, it's an Assembly occupancy.
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.
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. :-)
Reader Photos
My friend Nolan Thrope of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies really knows how to make a girl cry:
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.
WW: Reader Photos
Thanks to y'all I'm never short of reader photos, and these photos leave me wordless...just in time for Wordless Wednesday!
WW: No Window? No Problem!
Sent in by Gary Goldberg of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies...this was so much easier than cutting a hole in the wall. :(
WW: Panic Attack
These buildings were ALL OCCUPIED when these photos were taken. Depressing.
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.
Reader Photos
How about some reader photos to ease you into the weekend? :D
Decoded: IBC – Electromagnetically Locked Egress Doors (March 2012)
This post was printed in the March 2012 issue of Doors & Hardware
WW: Surface Bolts with Panic Hardware
By the time most of you read this it will be Thursday, but right now it's Wordless Wednesday!
WWYD: A Little Help Here?
Today is the 3rd anniversary of iDigHardware (aka iHateHardware)! WOOHOOOO!!!
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.
Road Trip – Cape Cod
It's school vacation week and we took the kids to the Cape for a few days. Here are some of the doors we've seen on our trip.
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.
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.)
Code Requirements for Electromagnetic Locks
This article was published in the February 2012 issue of the Locksmith Ledger:
Reader Photos
I have spent this entire week at our corporate office, so I haven't had a lot of time for posting. In return for your patience, next week I will post the third and final article from Lewis C. Norton's "How I Discovered Door Checks." That seems fair, right?
WW: Blocked Exit Sensor
I saw this application twice in one week...the exit sensor for the mag-lock mounted behind the exit sign. It definitely affects the range of the sensor. The code requirements for mag-locks do not address exact placement of the sensor, but this seems like common sense, no?
WW: Going Nowhere
This photo was sent in by Pat Bond of Shanahan's in Edmonton, Alberta Canada. Thanks Pat!
Social Media Roundup
There have been a lot of interesting door-related stories in the news lately. In case you missed my Tweets...