Fire Doors

FF: More Velcro

People always tell me how much they love Wordless Wednesday - the day I post photos that leave me wordless (speechless).  I think the steady stream of creative applications I'm receiving would support a Friday series to help ease us into the weekends.  I need some help with a catchy name for this category of posts (that doesn't contain any inappropriate language).  So think about a name that goes with "Friday", and conjures up visions of creative, although sometimes misguided "solutions".  If I use your idea, there's a $25 Amazon gift certificate with your name on it.  Freaky Friday?  Friday Funnies?  Help?!

By |2013-10-16T10:37:45-04:00October 11th, 2013|Fire Doors, Fixed-it Friday|14 Comments
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Reader Photos

Thank you to everyone who has sent me photos of doors they've seen in their travels (or while laying on the couch).  Kelly Chimilar from Allmar Inc. noticed these doors with an obvious egress problem while watching Thursday Night Football.  If you don't know what the problem is, I will hold a special online study session for you after work tonight.  ;)

By |2016-07-25T18:02:56-04:00September 6th, 2013|Beautiful Doors, Door Closers, FDAI, Fire Doors, Hinges & Pivots, Locks & Keys, Means of Egress, Panic Hardware, Reader Photos|9 Comments
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WW: No power? No problem!

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.

By |2013-09-01T09:02:43-04:00August 28th, 2013|Electrified Hardware, Fire Doors, Wordless Wednesday|1 Comment
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Impact of Citizen Involvement

I love it when people take action to rectify a code issue - especially when it's a door problem.  Two articles landed on my desk in the last few days about just that - citizens who saw a deficiency and didn't let it drop until it got some attention.  Both stories are from the UK and both involve high-rise apartment buildings - maybe Theodore Firedoor is helping to educate people about code-compliant fire doors. 

By |2017-09-29T13:37:42-04:00August 2nd, 2013|FDAI, Fire Doors, News|0 Comments
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Science Lab Doors

Several questions have come up lately regarding the door and hardware requirements for science labs in schools.  When a short article about a chemical fire in a lab storage cabinet came across my desk, I decided to do a little digging.  I found that fires in school science labs are not uncommon, in fact, the number of injuries to students has grown - in part because of changing educational requirements which advocate more hands-on science instruction.  In the event of a lab fire, building code requirements can help to limit the damage to the lab and prevent the fire and smoke from spreading.

By |2017-10-26T12:51:37-04:00July 5th, 2013|Fire Doors, Means of Egress|5 Comments
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WWYD: Help Wanted

I answer A LOT of questions every day, and I love doing it.  I'm so glad to be able to provide this resource for our staff and customers, and anyone else who comes across my site.  But sometimes I get questions that I don't have a good answer for, and that's where you come in.  Please leave a comment if you have any insight on ANY of these questions...

By |2017-10-26T12:51:43-04:00July 2nd, 2013|Door Closers, Fire Doors, Hinges & Pivots, Means of Egress, WWYD?|18 Comments
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Beautiful Doors of Denver

I'm in Denver for the AIA conference, and this afternoon I played a rousing game of Code Jeopardy with the Denver Chapter of DHI.  If you're at the AIA conference this week, stop at our booth (#530) to play a short version of Code Jeopardy and your name will be entered to win an iPad Mini!  You can enter whether you get the questions right or not, and you'll probably learn something about a new code requirement in the process.

By |2013-07-10T15:32:05-04:00June 20th, 2013|Accessibility, Beautiful Doors, Fire Doors, Means of Egress|3 Comments
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Solution for Oversized Undercuts

Last year as one of my projects neared completion, the architect called me to say that the bottom latches of the fire exit hardware were not long enough to reach the floor-mounted strikes.  This is a pretty common problem because that clearance needs to be very tight for the latch/strike templating - sometimes as little as 1/4" between the bottom of the door and the surface where the strike is mounted.

By |2016-04-12T17:59:24-04:00March 14th, 2013|Fire Doors|3 Comments
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Effects of Earthquake Damage on Fire Safety

While this test report was not heavy on door-related data, I thought some of you would enjoy reading about this groundbreaking study which looked at how a test building was affected by several simulated earthquakes, and then how the damaged building's fire safety systems performed in a series of fire tests.  I found the video below fascinating:

By |2013-05-01T19:48:57-04:00March 12th, 2013|Fire Doors, Health Care, Videos|2 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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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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A Closed Door – The Best Ally in a Home Fire

I know I just posted some news stories a few days ago, but Zeke Wolfskehl sent another one that I have to share.  It appeared in the New York Times on November 27th.  Considering how difficult it is to make people understand the value of their fire doors and why they should be kept in working order, I think this article does a great job of illustrating the importance.

By |2016-08-31T10:59:52-04:00November 30th, 2012|Fire Doors, News|2 Comments
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Meeting Room Pair

I'm in Tucson this week for the BHMA Fall Meeting.  My husband thinks it's all fun and games, but we've been working hard on some new standards - one for ligature-resistant hardware and one for residential hardware.  There's a lot more on the agenda over the next couple of days, but it's a beautiful area to have a meeting, the hotel is great, and I saw my first javelina today (I still think it was a wild boar  :D).

By |2012-10-09T21:09:20-04:00October 9th, 2012|FDAI, Fire Doors, Panic Hardware|1 Comment
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Follow Up – UL Listings for Narrow Doors

Back in August, I posted some information about a change to the UL procedures regarding fire doors less than 32" wide.  UL has just issued another bulletin, which reverses the August 2nd bulletin.  There will be no special requirements for labeling doors less than 32" wide - doors can be labeled in accordance with the manufacturers' service procedures.

By |2012-10-05T11:27:26-04:00October 5th, 2012|Fire Doors|1 Comment
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Aurora Apartment Fire Follow-Up

Earlier in the week I published a post about a fire in Aurora, Colorado.  Today I ran across this news report which shows an apartment where the door was open, vs. an apartment where the door was closed.  The reporter states that the doors were 2-hour rated, which is not typical, but some good publicity for fire doors regardless.

By |2012-08-09T14:51:39-04:00August 9th, 2012|Fire Doors|2 Comments
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Aurora Apartment Fire

This morning I read about a fire in Aurora, Colorado, at a 4-story apartment building.  The fire occurred Monday night, and it's possible that it is the result of arson.  Sadly, there were two fatalities - a couple who had lived in the building since the 1970's.

By |2012-08-07T23:36:15-04:00August 7th, 2012|Fire Doors|0 Comments
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