Means of Egress

Remembering the Station Nightclub Fire

I can't believe it has been 10 years since the morning I woke up, turned on the TV, and saw the aftermath of the deadly fire that killed 100 people and injured 200 others at the Station Nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island.  The recent news story below shocks me but it also underscores the fact that although we react when tragedy strikes, we often let our guard down as time goes on.  We have to remain vigilant or history will repeat itself again and again.

By |2014-03-28T16:54:41-04:00February 19th, 2013|Historical, Means of Egress|3 Comments
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School Security Follow-Up

In the months since the tragedy at Sandy Hook School in Newtown, Connecticut, there have been renewed efforts on the part of many schools to improve their security and better protect students, staff, and visitors.  While I'm very glad to see the focus on these improvements, I'm also very concerned about some well-meaning but misguided efforts that I've come across.  This post is not meant as an attack on any particular product or idea, but a reminder that as we secure these facilities, we must not forget about the other codes affecting the same doors that are being addressed.

By |2016-11-23T20:17:50-05:00February 11th, 2013|Fire Doors, Locks & Keys, Means of Egress|14 Comments
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Architectural Salvage

Sorry for the interruption in my series on wired glass - I will continue it shortly.  But this is a travel week for me, and I couldn't fly to sunny Florida without a quick trip to see my mom.  Today I dragged her to an architectural salvage company to see if they had any interesting old doors and hardware.  They had A LOT of doors - some really ornate and huge, and a room full of hardware...

By |2013-01-19T23:19:08-05:00January 19th, 2013|Beautiful Doors, Means of Egress|8 Comments
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Early Christmas Present

I'm pretty sure I asked for a PAIR of boots for Christmas, but Santa must have misunderstood.  I ended up with one walking boot after falling off of running fountain while trying to take the perfect photo of a door for y'all.  OK...actually I stepped off a little lip in a walkway while checking into our hotel in the dark and did some ligament damage.  We won't know the extent of the damage until the swelling goes down.  BUT - I did get a photo.

By |2012-12-24T17:53:39-05:00December 24th, 2012|Fire Doors, Means of Egress|25 Comments
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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.

By |2012-10-03T00:10:35-04:00October 3rd, 2012|Means of Egress, Wordless Wednesday|6 Comments
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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.

By |2013-12-04T23:49:43-05:00August 6th, 2012|Electrified Hardware, Means of Egress, WWYD?|29 Comments
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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?

By |2016-08-10T14:07:17-04:00July 30th, 2012|Electrified Hardware, Means of Egress, WWYD?|15 Comments
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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.

By |2012-06-05T07:29:50-04:00June 5th, 2012|Fire Doors, Means of Egress|3 Comments
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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?

By |2012-05-11T16:26:20-04:00May 11th, 2012|Fire Doors, Means of Egress|4 Comments
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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.

By |2012-05-11T14:05:27-04:00May 9th, 2012|Doors Gone Wrong, Means of Egress|19 Comments
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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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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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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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