In a couple of weeks I will be conducting some code training in the Carolinas and Tennessee. There are a few spots available in the class in Clemson, South Carolina on Tuesday, May 9th, so if you are within driving distance, check out the training invitation here.
As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I took my family for a short trip to Aguascalientes, Mexico last week. It's a beautiful city, and of course I took lots of photos of amazing doors!
Last week while I was on a short spring break trip with the kids, I was perusing the IBC, and I found a change that I forgot to write about; the change is related to escape rooms. The 2021 IBC now includes three options for egress from these rooms.
I received today's Fixed-it Friday photo from Scott Tobias of arkaSpecs, and I definitely did a double-take. Then I found out that he's on vacation with his family, and this egress door serves a ride at a popular theme park. What do you think?
Mark was minding his own business at a family get-together in a local events venue (with an occupant load of >100 people), and there was a door calling his name from the back of the room. You can see why in today's Wordless Wednesday photos. :D
Jim Billings sent me today's Fixed-it Friday photo, which was posted in a Facebook group with a comment that it was found in a postal facility. Any theories about what happened here?
Beginning with the 2015 edition of NFPA 101 - Life Safety Code, a section was added that allows doors in some types of health care units to be disguised with murals. This updated post includes a clarification from the 2021 edition of the code.
Last week I answered a quick question about locking stairwell doors, and Jim Elder of Secured Design raised a great point in a comment on the post. Here is a follow-up related to the release of locked stairwell doors upon fire alarm activation.
These Wordless Wednesday photos show a restaurant's patio exit...a great reminder that when we're specifying and selecting doors and hardware we need to try to anticipate how the openings will be used in the future.
As I mentioned last month, my Decoded column has a new question-and-answer format. This month's question: "How do the changes made to the 2018 and 2021 I-Codes affect the requirements for locks installed on classroom doors?"
I have written about this topic from various angles, but this Quick Question keeps coming up: Is it code-compliant to have an electrified lock that is normally locked on the egress side, if it unlocks automatically upon fire alarm activation?
As I mentioned last week, you will begin to see some new faces around here. Mark Kuhn of Allegion will be helping me out with some code development work and other duties, including an occasional blog post - like today's post about a frequent source of code violations.
I saw today's Wordless Wednesday photos posted on the Locksmith Nation Facebook page, and Merlin Bechtel of Merlin Lock & Safe gave me permission to share them here. I'm still amazed at the condition of so many retail exits.
In March we will offer an AIA approved webinar and two Webinar Wednesday sessions. These are great opportunities for continuing your education without leaving your desk!
In Monday's post I mentioned a Havana nightclub's egress situation, and promised to share a few Wordless Wednesday photos. As you can see from today's post, the code requirements for egress are a bit different from what we are used to.
Last week I visited an art and music space housed in an old cooking oil factory in Havana, Cuba. There were spaces that I would not enter, knowing what I know about nightclub fires. Today is the 20th anniversary of one of those fires - at the Station Nightclub.
I love receiving photos from AHJs...today's Wordless Wednesday photos were sent by Dave Cox, a fire marshal in Minnesota. Of course the mural, signage, and deadbolt caught my eye, but I also wonder what's going on with that light switch. Theories?
Many doors have to meet multiple sets of code requirements, for code-compliant egress, fire protection, and accessibility. There are dozens of applicable mandates that apply to door openings in a multifamily residential building; here are five to consider...
Today's Quick Question came from an AHJ: When I am evaluating a door that is equipped with a special locking arrangement, do the model code requirements for normal locking arrangements also apply?
Logan Piburn of Dyron Murphy Architects sent today's Fixed-it Friday photos of an egress door modification. I can see a few problems here...how about you?
When there is a desire to lock a door in the direction of egress for security reasons, today's Quick Question is often raised: During a lockdown, is a room or area considered a place of detention and restraint?
My latest Decoded article, published in the January/February issue of Door Security + Safety, addresses upcoming changes to the 2024 I-Codes. I covered additional changes affecting electrified hardware in a previous article.
I received today's Wordless Wednesday photo from Christin Kinman of Allegion...it's a door serving a youth program space in a church basement. After growing up with me as their mom, I wonder if my kids would bring this door up with the group leader.
As the theme of the March issue of Door Security + Safety is talent and workforce development, my next Decoded column includes some of the code-related resources that I have shared here on iDigHardware.com.
These restaurant exits left me Wordless - especially considering that some of the foliage is planted in the ground - not even in pots! When you go for dinner, don't forget to bring your machete in case you need to evacuate!
Although the number of violations found in the host stadium for Super Bowl LVII is a bit disconcerting, it's reassuring to know that code compliance is being taken seriously in order to help ensure life safety for occupants of the facility.
In 2018, the International Code Council (ICC) established an ad hoc committee to comprehensively explore and assess building safety and security - an issue that is important to all of us. The committee has issued their final report, and it is available for download.
Many of you know that my oldest daughter attends the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, but you may find it hard to believe that she's a SENIOR - I can hardly believe it myself! She sent me these WW photos from her study abroad trip to Ireland...
I received this photo on New Year's Eve 2021 from Cathy Kopp of Norwood Hardware, and I kept it filed away until the holiday season rolled around again. I will be taking some time off next week to recharge, and I hope you do too. See you next year!
When panic hardware is required by code for doors serving a particular room or space, is the panic hardware required for ALL of the doors in the means of egress from that space, including corridor doors, stair doors, and finally – the exterior doors?
I received today's Wordless Wednesday photos from Paul Goldense of Goldense Building Products, and I really have no words. But if I know Paul, this door's problems will be resolved immediately, if not sooner.
It has been wonderful to work remotely from Denmark, but it's time to go back to reality. I am headed home tomorrow, so here's one last post to share a few more of the beautiful doors of Copenhagen. Enjoy!
When I posted my updated Decoded article about communicating doors earlier this week, I remembered these photos. I think that looking at an issue in different ways can really help to get the point across, so here goes...
I saw the door in today's Wordless Wednesday photos when I went to a salsa lesson at a dance studio in Copenhagen last week. When the studio is open for business, the door is propped open with a rock. Clearly, propped-open fire doors are a global problem.
Although I won't be cooking the traditional turkey and stuffing this year, I am wishing a Happy Thanksgiving to any of you who will be celebrating! Today's post includes some more photos from my travels over the last week.
Remember when I used to take the kids on family road trips or international voyages, and I would post about the interesting doors I saw in our travels? Well, this is one of my favorite weeks of the year, and I'm in Copenhagen!
It is not uncommon for a building to have a means of egress that passes through a swimming pool enclosure. I have run into this several times before and I'm wondering how you are seeing it addressed in the field. WWYD?
Today's Wordless Wednesday photos were taken by Chris Arnold of Melbourne Locksmith in Australia, who was called in to fix a screen door lock. These screen doors are blocking egress in a public building, where apparently the insects are a nuisance.
One of my favorite retired fire marshals sent me today's Fixed-it Friday photos, which illustrate one of his pet peeves. Could signs like this delay or deter egress during an emergency? What do you think?
To help educate and inform stakeholders about changes related to doors and hardware, BHMA has developed a new resource called Codes in Context. I filmed a short video for BHMA's Spotlight Series, highlighting this project.
Tim Weller of Allegion sent me today's Wordless Wednesday photo...if I had a nickel for every time I saw an egress door changed to "not an exit" by someone whose authority was based on their access to a printer or a Sharpie, I'd be rich! :-|
There is a change coming in the 2024 IBC related to doors that are required to have panic hardware and are also equipped with electromagnetic locks. I have updated the past post on this topic to include the change.
Austin Bammann of CIH sent me today's Wordless Wednesday photos and I have no words left. How do we reach retailers to educate them about their door openings??
I'm on my way to Pittsburgh, and I hope to see some of you at the DHI conNextions conference! PLEASE come to one (or both!) of my sessions on Wednesday, or stop by the Allegion booth during exhibit hall hours!
Over the weekend, a tragic crowd crush occurred at a Halloween event in Seoul, South Korea. Although this incident occurred on a narrow street, a crowd crush can also happen inside of a building. As with all life safety issues, we must continue to be vigilant.
UPDATE: I just saw a great example of a door opening that was a "fire exit," incorrectly marked as a "fire door," so I have updated this post to include new photos. Is a fire exit the same as a fire door? Are the code requirements for each of these openings the same?
Colin Watson of Allegion sent me today's Wordless Wednesday photos, and if you look closely, I think you'll be Wordless too. What is it with these restaurants and their exits??
I've received questions before about how to secure certain areas of a stadium or sports arena, and in many cases there is not a code-compliant way to do so without negatively affecting egress. Today's Wordless Wednesday photos give me chills.
I originally wrote this article in 2012(!), and when someone asked me a question about this topic yesterday, I noticed that the post needed an update. Current information from the model codes and NFPA 80 is now included.
I have heard people excuse non-code-compliant egress because a room is "just a storeroom" or "just a bathroom", but the model codes do not exempt these spaces from the requirements for egress.
