In this Q&A feature with Facility Executive, I offer educated insight around the importance of fire doors in multifamily facilities, illustrating the impact with real-world examples, referencing codes and offering tips to facility managers to ensure compliance.
I just received this Wordless Wednesday photo from Allison Berejka of Allegion, and I'm beyond wordless. This is a stairwell fire door in a New York City apartment building, and it will serve no purpose if a fire occurs.
A while back, I posted a Quick Question about whether a missing closer cover on a fire door assembly should be noted as a deficiency during a fire door inspection. There is finally an official answer!
Today's Quick Question is a good one...When a specific requirement stated in a referenced standard is in conflict with what is allowed by the code that is referencing the standard, which requirement applies?
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!
There are millions - yes, MILLIONS - of existing fire door assemblies that have been modified or damaged, or that have not been maintained properly. The only way to find them and fix them is to enforce the code requirements for fire door inspections. What's the hold up?
Last week, NYC Mayor Eric Adams signed an executive order that strengthens fire safety enforcement and outreach in the city. In addition, proposed city council legislation was filed that would increase penalties for non-compliant doors.
With the number of apartments in a metropolis like New York City, and the prevalence of fires in multifamily buildings, how are code officials ever going to get a handle on the non-code-compliant conditions?
Whether it's a smoking dryer in the laundry room or something more serious, fire door assemblies play a very important role in a building's fire protection system - even if most people don't realize it. Another fire door win!
I will be publishing several sets of frequently asked questions this year, with more detailed supporting articles on each topic. If you have a FAQ that you'd like to add to the list, leave it in the comment box and I will include it in a future article.
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?
There are still details that have not been released regarding the January 9th fire in a Bronx apartment building. Why didn't the apartment door and the stairwell door close and help prevent the smoke from spreading?
After an I-Team investigation, a Bronx landlord repaired fire door problems in their apartment buildings, including doors to stairwells, trash rooms, and apartments that were not self-closing. Here is a follow-up story from News 4.
I received this photo of a fire door in a hotel stairwell from Gabriel Montoya of Jansen Ornamental Supply. You might be thinking to yourself, "This doesn't leave me wordless...I see stuff like this all the time!" That's the point.
A recent fire in a Bronx apartment building is yet another reminder of the importance of code-compliant fire door assemblies and the need for enforcement of the fire door inspections mandated by current codes and standards.
As I'm working on some educational materials about fire doors for people who are not familiar with code requirements or with doors and hardware, I'm realizing that most people don't know how fire door assemblies are tested.
When it comes to fire doors, we should not rely only on the mantra, “Close the Door, Close the Door, Close the Door.” Every fire door assembly should be inspected annually – as required by current codes – and deficiencies repaired without delay.
In light of last weekend's fire in the Bronx, I am reviving this 5-year-old post. It won't be wordless, but it's an amazing illustration of the protection provided by fire doors that are closed and latched during a fire.
The investigation continues into last Sunday's fire in a Bronx apartment building, and the cause of the fire has been identified as a space heater. This post includes some of the latest information regarding the effects of open doors during the fire.
Yesterday I received dozens of emails and messages about the Bronx apartment fire that caused at least 17 fatalities. As with past fires, the NYFD Commissioner highlighted the open apartment door during his press conference.
The 2022 edition of NFPA 80 includes some important changes related to the size and attachment methods for signage on fire doors. Can you spot what's new in the updated standard?
I truly believe this...knowledge empowers each of us. I often find when I'm teaching about codes, that people believe something to be true that they learned 20 years ago. But things change, and it's crucial that we keep up with what's new in the industry.
Here are a few more applications that I saw on my road trip - I'm finally heading home on Sunday! I stayed at a total of 8 different hotels on my trip, so you can imagine how many problems I saw...
I'm heading south today after teaching a class in Knoxville, and tomorrow I'll be arriving at the DHI conNextions conference in New Orleans. I'm teaching my brand new 1 vs. 100 class on Thursday, October 21st at 8 a.m. I hope to see you there!
As I continue on my training adventure, staying in multiple hotels along the way, I'm reminded of a "Quick Question" that recently hit my inbox: Are swing bar door guards prohibited by NFPA 80 for fire door assemblies on hotel rooms?
I'm making my way around the Southeast, heading for my final destination - the DHI conNextions conference in New Orleans. I'll be teaching my brand new 1 vs. 100 class on Thursday, October 21st at 8 a.m. Meanwhile, there are lots of classes on the schedule for this week!
Today's Quick Question arises often, when existing hardware on a fire door assembly is replaced with new hardware: If existing holes in a fire door assembly are covered by the new hardware, is this compliant with the codes and standards?
I was just talking with someone the other day about how hard it must be to get on-the-job training while working remotely. If you or someone you know is new to the industry or new to the Allegion brands, check out Allegion 101!
Rit Bellefleur of Accurate Commercial Door & Hardware Services, LLC sent me today's Wordless Wednesday photo. This is a fire door in a school, and the bottom latch clearly serves no purpose. What's the point??
I have posted a couple of spec updates in past weeks, both related to one small portion of an actual project specification. Today's post addresses the remaining paragraph in the example - oversized fire doors.
Last week I posted the first in a new series of posts, with the goal of delving into some specification sections to try to understand the intent and see where updating is needed. Another question came up regarding the same spec section.
I have been thinking about adding a new type of post for a long time, and today's the day I will try it out. I can't tell you how many times I've opened a specification to estimate a project, and found outdated information...
Last week, I updated the Decoded article on smoke door requirements of the IBC, and I was asked to update this NFPA 101 post as well. There were not many changes in the 2021 edition of the Life Safety Code, but here is the revised post.
There's more online training available this week...whether you are new to the industry, responsible for maintaining a facility, or interested in one of this week's Webinar Wednesday topics, there are lots of classes to choose from!
There are so many options for online training this week! Whether you're an architect, end user, distributor, locksmith, installer or security integrator, new to the industry or with years of experience, there's something for you to learn.
Thank you for all of your comments and feedback on last week's Fixed-it Friday post - I really appreciate the help! I'd love to hear what you think about fire door assembly labels as an educational tool for building occupants.
When I wrote the title of today's post, I wondered where the term "onward and upward" came from. I found that the original source was from a poem called "The Present Crisis" by James Russell Lowell (1819-1891)...
My next Decoded article for Door Security + Safety magazine highlights the importance of fire door assembly inspections in multi-unit residential buildings. Enforcing the inspection requirements and repairing deficiencies will undoubtedly save lives.
There are so many online classes to choose from this week! Which one(s) will help you stay up to date on what's happening in the door and hardware industry?
What will happen when a fire occurs in the US, where an adopted fire code requires periodic fire door inspections and a state or local jurisdiction decides not to enforce the requirement? I'm afraid we'll find out before too long.
Fire doors in hotels are critical for helping to deter the spread of smoke and flames during a fire. To perform as designed and tested, the fire door needs to be closed and latched if a fire occurs. This is why we need annual inspections of fire door assemblies!
Fire door inspection is a hot topic these days, and one of this week's Webinar Wednesday classes covers The Essentials of Fire Door Inspection. You can also learn more about fire door assemblies on iDigHardware's fire door page.
Last week I answered a Quick Question about whether a listed threshold could be used to reduce excessive clearance at the bottom of a fire door. I always appreciate the heads-ups when I make a typo, but this time I didn't! :-)
Last week I wrote about a fire in a Queens apartment building, where an open door allowed a fire to spread. FDNY shared a video that shows some of the interior of the building after the fire that left more than 200 people homeless.
I like to think that I'm pretty even-tempered...I don't get mad very often (and when I do - RUN). But every time I see an apartment fire where the door was left open as the apartment residents escaped, I feel even more frustrated and angry.
In my opinion, removing the fire door assembly inspection requirements through a state modification of the model codes is detrimental to the safety of building occupants. What do you think?
As I talk to people about fire door assembly inspection, two sides of the discussion have emerged. Many understand the increased life safety and fire protection provided by code-compliant fire doors - others think the deficiencies are too overwhelming to address.
This elementary school fire door "fix" is one way to keep the wedges from disappearing but might be tough to explain when the fire marshal shows up for an inspection.
Have you ever pointed out a door problem to someone and had them respond with a shrug and some form of "so what"? A fire door is held open improperly...so what - chances are slim that the building will catch on fire today. Right??
