I'm at the NFPA School Safety Summit this week and it has been an amazing opportunity to hear from code officials, first responders, and other experts, and to break into smaller groups to discuss school safety issues and the necessary code changes. I'll definitely have more to report on this later.
Today is the second webinar in the series for access control integrators, so here is my second list of Quick-Tips (the first list can be downloaded here). There have been some changes in the 2015 edition of the IBC, so it's worth a review...
I don't know about you, but once a product number takes root in my head I have a tough time getting used to a new one. I've still got numbers in there from the 80's! But it's time to do a memory upgrade because the Schlage L9080-EL and L9080-EU locksets have been replaced with a series of new and improved electrified mortise locks...
Allegion is conducting a series of monthly webinars for access control integrators, which address code compliant access solutions for various applications. All webinars are held at 2 p.m. Eastern. Click here to register or to access recordings of past webinars in this series...
Paul Goldense of Goldense Building Products took today's Wordless Wednesday photo while searching for the problem causing mag-locks in a psychiatric unit to work intermittently. I think he found the issue...
Recently a question from a code official landed in my inbox - "Can an electric strike on a fire door be operated by a motion sensor?" For example, if a door was often used by people carrying boxes or other large items, could a sensor release the strike so the building occupants could just push on the door rather than turning the lever to exit?
On a thru-wire hinge, the wires are typically run through the thickness of the hinge leaf. Like inside of the hinge leaf where you can't see them. Not actually through the hinge. Oh never mind. You're doing it wrong.
All I can say about these photos of a field-prepped electric strike is...this is why we specify all of the hardware, including access-control hardware, in the hardware specification. Field preps do happen on occasion, but not all installers are created equal...
In a recent discussion about code change proposals, there was a question about whether electromagnetic locks should be an acceptable alternative to panic hardware, on doors serving Assembly occupancies - essentially the application shown in the photos below. If approved, a door serving an assembly space, and perhaps even Educational occupancies depending on how the proposal was written, could have mag-locks released by a sensor, and no panic hardware - no latching device at all...
In preparation for an upcoming class for access control professionals, I'm putting together some printable summaries of code tips on security-related topics. The first sheet I'm working on addresses requirements specific to fire door assemblies that would be important to an access control integrator or security consultant...
Something recently caught me by surprise and I feel like I should bring it to light so that anyone who is specifying, supplying, or installing electrified hardware on stairwell doors would be aware of the potential issue...
Even if we only consider the space with the smallest occupant load - the classroom, the codes do not give us many options for preventing a student from eloping. If the classroom has an exterior door that is required for egress, it can not be locked in the direction of egress....
Some schools include seclusion rooms, where a child may be placed if he/she needs time to calm down without endangering themselves or others...
Something a little different for today's Wordless Wednesday photo - less of a fire door / egress code issue and more of a...fire hazard (and probably an electrical code problem!)?
To some, locking doors to prevent egress may seem like a step backward. But in some applications, the danger of elopement is much greater than potential hazards of controlled egress. Until now, it has been difficult for memory care facilities to balance the code requirements for free egress or delayed egress, with the needs of their residents...
A few years ago I met Brad Keyes of Keyes Life Safety Compliance, who is a terrific resource when it comes to life safety questions about health care facilities. When I received the question below I sent it to Brad, and his answer was so comprehensive and helpful that I asked if I could post it here. It is relevant to all types of health care facilities, not just ambulatory health care. Thank you Brad, for allowing me to share this information!
For the record, I DO know what happened here...do you? I've only seen this one other time in my travels. This photo is from Lloyd Seliber of Keying Solutions from Macau, China.
Are you interested in trying a sample of Schlage's new CO-220? Read on.
This article was published in the October 2013 issue of the Locksmith Ledger:
To all of the architects out there...this is what can happen if you forgo the hardware consultant and let the electrician work out the details on-site. Call us - we can help! ;)
Here's a tough one...
When I'm teaching about the code-compliant ways to hold open a fire door, I always say that my preference is to use a wall-mounted magnetic holder because there are no moving parts, and not much can go wrong if it's installed correctly. But if there's no power to the magnetic holder, it won't hold the door open. And if the door won't stay open, someone will always come along with a creative solution.
This post was printed in the October 2013 issue of Doors & Hardware
I've received lots of photos lately that illustrated problems with how products were specified, supplied, or installed. So let's play...what's wrong with this picture???
I’m asked quite often if fusible link arms are still allowed to be used on fire doors. The logical place to start is NFPA 80 – Standard for Fire Doors and Other Opening Protectives...
Today's Wordless Wednesday photo was submitted by Joy Davis of the Construction Specifications Institute (@CSIConstruction on Twitter). Thanks Joy!
This article was published in the March 2013 issue of Construction Specifier.
This post was printed in the March 2013 issue of Doors & Hardware
I have been struggling with this post. I can't answer the question the world wants an answer to -
I'm spending most of this week in Tennessee, and yesterday I went out to the local supermarket for a few more Thanksgiving dinner supplies. This door caught my eye...
I recently visited a facility where security is their top priority. Many of the doors are set to sound an alarm if they are left open for more than 6 seconds. This presents a challenge when carts are being moved through the opening, because the doors need to stay open long enough for the carts, but need to close before the 6-second mark. There are 10,000 employees on-site during a typical day, and leaving a door unsecure / not locked or latched can result in termination of their jobs. Many of the doors are fire doors, which adds some extra complexity to the issue. Almost all of the doors have access-control.
This is becoming a recurring theme. I'll be in a few airports later this week...maybe I'll see some more.
For the second time in two months, a news story came across my desk that involved the impact of mag-locks on security. For some involved in the security industry, mag-locks are perceived to be an easy way to retrofit a high level of protection, because the field preparation is limited and the manufacturers' literature shows holding force specifications which seem like more than enough to keep out the average burglar.
Am I the only one bothered by this? Probably.
Question: Is there a code requirement for how often the delayed egress hardware in my facility must be tested?
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.
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.
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?
This post was printed in the October 2012 issue of Doors & Hardware
This post was printed in the August 2012 issue of Doors & Hardware
If you don't know why this sign leaves me wordless, read this post.
Question: I was told that I couldn't use dogging on panic hardware installed on fire doors. Is it acceptable to use electric dogging?
I received this photo from Nancy Bailey of Girtman & Associates, a division of Bass Security Services. I'm guessing that the slack in the wire is so that it can be run around the outside of the glass kit. If this was a fire-rated door, would this method be acceptable?
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.
This post was printed in the June 2012 issue of Doors & Hardware
Every so often a set of photos comes across my desk and I don't know whether to laugh or cry (remember these?). The photos below left me speechless. I could have saved them for Wordless Wednesday since I have no words, but I couldn't wait to share. Thank you to Michael Glasser of Kroll Advisory Solutions for sending them.
My friend Nolan Thrope of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies really knows how to make a girl cry:
Jon Bossie of Surveillance Specialties sent me the photos below to see if any of my readers had ideas about how to add access control to these sliding doors. He and I both have some thoughts but maybe there's something we haven't considered. The doors are mounted on the outside face of the wall, each serving an individual office. When the door is closed, it overlaps the aluminum frame face. There is currently no method of securing the doors. WWYD?
As many of you know, I was away last week to do some specwriter training. While I thoroughly enjoyed hanging with some of my peeps for a few days (not to mention 12 hours in the car with 3 of them), my email really piled up. I was so happy to find these photos in my emailbox, so I could put up a quick blog post.
