Another hotel, another fire door problem. In case you're new to this site...this fire door needs a positive latch, and will not perform as designed and tested to protect the stairwell as a means of egress for the hotel guests if there is a fire. Unacceptable!
Last month I wrote about a fatal fire in a Manhattan high-rise residential building, where non-compliant fire doors likely had an effect on the outcome. There was initially a lot of publicity surrounding this tragedy and even a proposal for new legislation, but as I feared, within a couple of weeks the media was no longer reporting on the story. I recently read the article below in the monthly newsletter from the Center for Campus Fire Safety, and I loved it so much that I asked them if I could share it with you. It gives a different perspective on the same issues that I preach about all the time, from Phil Chandler, a firefighter and fire marshal. Many thanks to the Center for Campus Fire Safety, and to Phil.
Here's a big group of reader photos from the emailbox!
Instead of maintaining the fire exit hardware on this pair of fire doors, the rods and most of the latches were removed and an exit alarm was installed. The most disturbing part is that there are doors like this EVERYWHERE...fire doors and egress doors that will no longer perform as designed, tested, and required by code, because of lack of maintenance or improper modifications. And without widespread adoption of the fire and egress door inspection requirements, we're left to address these problems one door at a time. In each fatal fire the main focus seems to always be on sprinklers, but compartmentalization is key to preventing the spread of smoke and flames. It goes without saying that code-compliant egress is a life safety feature which can't be compromised.
These photos leave me Wordless in a different way than the usual WW photos. This is a great illustration of what a code-compliant fire door can do. In the foreground of the top photo...the portion of the senior home in L'Isle Verte that is a total loss, with 32 presumed dead. In the background, the newer portion of the building that suffered little damage and from which the occupants were able to be evacuated. That portion was reportedly equipped with sprinklers, but without the fire wall and closed/latched fire doors visible in the photo, the fire would not have been compartmentalized as it was. We will undoubtedly learn more about the specifics as the investigation continues.
One of the worst feelings for me is that of being powerless...of seeing a critical need before me and having no way to help. I can't imagine how it felt for the firefighters, neighbors, family members, and others who were forced to watch last week's senior home fire in Quebec, without any way to rescue most of the residents - some of whom could be seen or heard until they were taken by the smoke and flames. Heartbreaking stories are emerging, including one of a man who was able to reach his mother on her balcony and wrap her in warm clothing or blankets, but could not rescue her. The fire in L'Isle-Verte is believed to have killed 32 of the home's elderly residents, although recovery of the victims is extremely slow because the remnants of the building are encased in ice.
That's the text message I received from Hal Kelton of DOORDATA Solutions, when he sent me this photo. :D
I always enjoy having a chance to work with facility managers to make sure they're up to date on what's new in my world - whether it's a new product or a recent code change. I often answer specific questions and help with product applications one-on-one, but I really appreciate the opportunity to connect with them en masse.
Every day I read news articles about fires, looking for references to fire doors or egress doors. I'm sure you can imagine my reaction when I see an excerpt like, "The bar was open and occupied at the time of the fire and a fire wall and fire door stopped any fire damage from occurring there, according to the report."
If any of you attended DHI's AH2 class in Savannah, Georgia back in the Good Old Days, you may have had one of my all-time favorite instructors - Bob Jutzi. I actually use a lot of his techniques when I teach, to try to make my classes more engaging and dare I say "fun"? I don't have a flat-cat Earl, but I still have the monkey from my AH2 class (and a monkey arm from another year). Bob sent me the photos below so if you want to leave him a "howdy" you can do so in the comments.
On January 5th, a fire in a Manhattan high-rise apartment building resulted in the death of building resident Daniel McClung, who was found in a smoke-filled stairwell. Several other residents were injured, including Mr. McClung's husband who was also found in the stairwell. The fire appears to have been the result of an overloaded extension cord or power strip. The apartment's resident was not at home when the fire started, and reportedly opened his door upon returning home, saw the fire and escaped leaving the door open. This provided oxygen to the fire, and allowed the smoke and flames to spread.
A few years ago I took my family to a resort on Cape Cod for winter break, and I spent this past weekend at the same resort. On our first visit, I found a lot to write about...the hinges on all of the cross-corridor doors had been modified (sometimes very badly) and were no longer code-compliant for fire doors, the fire doors connecting the 8 buildings were propped open with wedges and the latches had been removed, the swimming pool egress doors were questionable, and there were a few other issues.
Open fire door killed 2 at Mont Blanc - The Free Press Journal
And if you decide to decorate your door this holiday season, make sure you don't create a problem with egress, fire-resistance, or accessibility!
Over the weekend I visited a local high school for a swim meet. Right away I noticed MANY pairs of fire doors equipped with LCN Sentronics, which are designed to hold the doors open until the fire alarm sounds and then close the doors to deter the spread of smoke and flames. Some of these doors were propped open with wood wedges (uh-oh). When I took a closer look, I realized what the problem was.
In case you were wondering, this is not an acceptable application for a fire door. And I'm not sure if/how it's working properly, or what's under the big plate.
It's been a while, so here are some of the many photos I've received from y'all...
Yesterday was the 98th anniversary of a tragic school fire that took the lives of 22 children between the ages of 7 and 17, who were burned or crushed to death while trying to escape. The 3-story brick and wood building was engulfed within 5 minutes, and it's miraculous that more of the almost 700 children and staff in the building were not killed. The fire began in the basement, and traveled through the building as the basement doors were left open. The oil finish used on the wood floors contributed to the toxicity of the smoke. The stairs were not enclosed, and did not discharge to the exterior. Almost all of the victims were found just inside the main entrance. As a result of this fire, Peabody became the first city to pass a law which required egress doors in public buildings and schools to swing in the direction of egress.
Hotels seem to be notorious for fire door issues...here's a perfect example that was found by Chad Jenkins of the National Locksmithing Institute. Chad wrote:
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?!
It's time to clean out my inbox again! Here are some of the reader photos I've received. Thanks to all who sent them!
BM TRADA will be streaming a live fire door test over the internet on 17 September, offering viewers an opportunity to see for themselves the crucial role played by fire doors in saving lives and property.
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. ;)
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.
It's one of my favorite times of the year..."Back to School!", and school security is all over the news. How do we keep our kids safe at school?
Georgia school shooting: A hero emerges - Christian Science Monitor
This post was printed in the August 2013 issue of Doors & Hardware
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.
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???
Time to clean out the inbox! Here's the first batch:
This photo was sent to me by Jeff Tock of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies, who reported that there were numerous fire doors like this in the same hotel. Personally, if I did something and saw VOID, I would probably stop and consider what was causing that to happen.
Here are a few articles that have crossed my desk recently (and some not-so-recently but I'm cleaning house). If you find an article that you'd like to share, send it along!
It's Wednesday, and you know what that means! Another application that leaves me wordless! Jeff Tock of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies sent me these photos of the integral stop on a door closer being used to hold the fire door open. Y'all know that's not ok - right?
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.
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...
Yes, this is a fire door. Anyone see a problem here?
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.
I've compiled some of the code resources I currently use, in hopes that some of them might be helpful to you. If there are other websites that you visit for code information, please leave a comment and I'll add them to the list.
Fire in China poultry plant kills more than 100 people - Al Jazeera (vide0)
I have read this first article several times and asked my codey friends for their thoughts. None of us could come up with any national building code requirement for a closer on a non-fire-rated exterior door. But then again...I try to avoid arguing with a building official. What say you?
This photo of a hospital corridor door was sent by Hyun Myung Kang. I'm pretty sure this installation doesn't comply with NFPA 80.
Theodore Firedoor...my hero! And I'm going to start using the word "dodgy" whenever possible. :D
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...
This article left me wordless: Fire Alarm Causes Panic in Housing Facilities
There's nothing like a fire at a television news station to make sure that it gets complete coverage. After a 2-alarm fire at News 4 WOAI in San Antonio, Fire Chief Charles Hood said that the closed 20-minute fire door saved the building.
Question: I have a hollow metal fire door that is sagging due to failure of the top hinge reinforcement. Is it acceptable to remove the butt hinges and install a continuous hinge on the existing door and frame?
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.
