"If it ain't broke, don't fix it," is a phrase that I live by - mostly because I don't have time to deal with anything that isn't crucial to my existence. And if something does break, I just might find a work-around. But this strategy should not be applied to access control credentials.
Yesterday in an airport I saw a bank of interlocks and an adjacent pair of doors with delayed egress locks. What do you think about this application? Do some AHJs require delayed egress doors where interlocks are installed? WWYD?
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.
Several people have asked the same Quick Question this week: Is it permissible by code for stairwell doors in schools to be locked during a lockdown? The answer is in today's post.
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?
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!
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?
Lee Frazier of Allegion sent me today's Fixed-it Friday photo, taken in a school. I have edited this post based on a reader's email telling me that this is not a DIY EPT, but a concealed power transfer. I have never seen this product in the wild, and I guess Lee had not seen it either!
As 2022 winds down (that was fast!), we have one more Webinar Wednesday with sessions on stairwell reentry and delayed egress requirements, along with a recently recorded Security in 30 presentation. Happy December!
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.
Don't worry...it's not actually November yet! But there's some training coming up next week that I don't want you to miss - including a couple of sessions that I'm presenting. I hope to see some of you there!
People always send me photos with a note saying, "I saw this door and thought of you..." I LOVE getting those messages (who wouldn't?)! And last week when I was flying home from the BHMA meetings, I saw these doors and thought of YOU! :D
One of the most fundamental requirements related to access control products can also be one of the most confusing - the functions of fail safe and fail secure electrified hardware. This post answers a few of the frequently asked questions related to this topic.
Where have the months gone?? It's October already! We have two Webinar Wednesdays this month, and the recording of my health care lunch and learn from last week will also be available soon.
Scott Tobias of arkaSpecs sent me today's Fixed-it Friday photos of a pair of automatic doors with electric latch retraction panic hardware. I don't claim to be an expert on wiring for electrified hardware, but this doesn't look right to me. :-|
My next Decoded column looks at how assembly occupancies are addressed in the model codes, as well as some of the assembly-specific requirements related to door openings. Let me know if I missed anything! :)
What is happening in this Fixed-it Friday photo from Debbie White of Allegion? It's a restroom door in a gas station. I'll wait while you think about it.
It's my favorite time of the year - back to school! It's hard to believe that I have a college senior, and a high school junior and senior! But the learning doesn't end with graduation...we have plenty of continuing education available this month.
The fact that this stairwell fire door is now cracked in half helps to explain why drilling wire raceways in existing doors is typically treated as a field modification that must be approved in advance by the listing lab. I'm Wordless!
My next Decoded column addresses important code clarifications related to electrified hardware used in access control systems. I hope this article will help with more consistent interpretations of the requirements.
Quick Question: For delayed egress locks, the model codes require the activation of the 15-second timer to be an irreversible process. Is it acceptable for an authorized person with a key or credential to rearm the lock during the 15-second period?
The difference between delayed egress and controlled egress systems can be confusing...hopefully this new infographic will help. It explains how these systems work, where they are used, and how to choose the correct application.
In yesterday's post I wrote about new text that was added to the 2021 IBC Commentary, clarifying the intent of the code regarding "normal locking arrangements." The requirements related to UL 294 listings have also been clarified.
For years, I have been struggling with a common code interpretation related to electrified hardware, and I know that some of you have too. With the release of the 2021 IBC Commentary, this just got a lot easier.
Electrified hardware can be particularly hard - especially when it comes to codes. To try to reduce the confusion that may result in inconsistent interpretations, I have created a new page called Special Locking Arrangements.
Today is my birthday and I will be spending the day flying to Minneapolis to work with the members of our Specwriter Apprentice Program and Sales Development Program. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, we have 2 Webinar Wednesdays this month!
While the installation of an electromagnetic lock can be relatively simple, the code requirements that apply to mag-locks are somewhat complicated and may be confusing. These answers to frequently asked questions should help.
Because of the holiday weekend and the Webinar Wednesday sessions scheduled for the first week of the month, this is a last-minute notification of the online training available TOMORROW - I hope some of you can make it!
Last week I posted a photo that was submitted by Bruce Gill of North Central Supply as part of the 3,000-post celebration, and the photo raised a few Quick Questions about the mag-lock...
As we continue to celebrate the 3,000-post milestone, I don't know what to say about today's Wordless Wednesday photo sent by Bruce Gill of North Central Supply. SMH
There is a new Security in 30 session coming up on June 17th, along with Webinar Wednesday on the 29th. Which of these educational presentations are you planning to attend?
Along with our other online training scheduled for the month of May, we have a webinar on access control and electrified hardware that qualifies for AIA continuing education credit. Save your seat!
How is it May already??? Webinar Wednesdays continue with two days of online classes this month, along with a new Security in 30 session with 10 Overtur Tips for the Integrator and Security Community.
My Decoded course has been taken thousands of times on-demand, along with countless attendees who have participated in live Decoded classes taught by my Allegion coworkers. I just updated all 4 classes and they're ready to go!
Webinar Wednesdays continue, along with a new Security in 30 session coming up this month! Electrified hardware, hollow metal doors and frames, fire doors, panic hardware, and a Security in 30 on some important health care research!
As I said in my previous post about fire door FAQs, I will be posting more groups of FAQs in the coming months, to try to fill in some gaps where there is still confusion. In this post I am answering a few common questions on controlled egress doors in health care facilities.
One of the highest-security projects I ever specified was a state data center, and along with vascular readers and multiple interlocks, the project required high security door position sensors. These sensors are now available from Schlage!
Great news! Webinar Wednesdays are back, along with a new Security in 30 session coming up this month! Electrified hardware, automatic operators, hollow metal doors and frames...which classes will you attend?
If you missed registering for any of the learning opportunities I mentioned last week, you can still access these informative sessions! Last week's presentations are available on-demand, and there are more scheduled for this week and next!
There are some great learning opportunities coming up - a two-hour webinar on fire door assemblies from Door Safety, an Allegion Security in 30 session, and an ICC panel discussion on tornado awareness...which one(s) will you attend?
This article on controlled egress locks in health care facilities will be published in Locksmith Ledger, as a follow-up article to one I wrote last fall comparing the requirements of the model codes for delayed egress applications.
I have represented the Allegion brands since 1994, but these days it's not the norm to work for the same company for decades. This week's Security in 30 session addresses the important topic of attracting and retaining talent. Join us!
John Woestman of BHMA and I worked on this article together, addressing some important changes that will be included in the 2024 IBC. It's never too early to be aware of what's coming!
Have you ever struggled with securing an elevator lobby door to prevent access to a tenant space, while complying with the need for a means of egress from the elevator lobby? An approved change to the 2024 IBC should help!
It has been a long year (a long two years?), and I'm more than ready for a bit of a holiday break. But first! Our national trainers have their last 2 classes of the year this Webinar Wednesday, and our final Security in 30 session of 2021 is this Friday!
I love it when people contact me with suggestions for iDigHardware, even when (or especially when?) their idea is something I should have come up with long ago. Here are the upcoming classes for the next 2 WEEKS!
Two approved changes to the 2024 IBC will affect the locking of stairwell doors; ICC Proposals E47-21 and G61-21 were approved as modified by floor modifications during the committee action hearings.
We've got a boatload of classes coming up...on health care, electrified hardware, masterkeying, accessories, and hollow metal - and the Thursday class offers continuing education credit for AIA!
