Touchless Openings (and more!)
Many facility managers are exploring ways to reduce the transmission of germs in their buildings, but don't forget about the code requirements!
QQ: Cladding on a Fire Door Assembly
Today's Quick Question is a very common one...Can cladding materials be applied to the face of a fire door assembly?
Code Update: Terminated Stops on Fire Door Assemblies
I have had quite a few questions about terminated stops on fire door assemblies, so this change to the 2021 IBC should help to clarify what is allowed by code.
Tomorrow is Webinar Wednesday
Our national trainers are continuing with their Webinar Wednesday series - classes are currently scheduled into August. Feel free to share this information with your colleagues.
Introduction to the Code Requirements for Electrified Hardware
Many of you already know this (900 of you have already signed up), but this Thursday I will be presenting another webinar. If you're on the fence about whether to attend, this post might help.
Don’t take my word for it.
In case you missed this short paragraph in the NFPA Journal article I shared on Monday, I wanted to bring it to your attention since several iDigHardware readers emailed me about it...
NFPA: Fire and Life Safety Insights for Reopening Buildings
NFPA has compiled more than a dozen new resources including videos, fact sheets, and news releases, which can all be found at nfpa.org/coronavirus.
This Week’s Webinars
This week we have 5 different webinars available, so you can continue your training online. Check out the options - there's something for everyone!
SDI: Fire Door Assembly Inspections 101
I receive a lot of questions about the code requirements for fire door assembly inspections, so when the Steel Door Institute asked me to write an article on the subject, I was more than willing!
QQ: Field Labeling of Fire Doors
Today's Quick Question: Can an existing fire door be labeled in the field for a higher rating than what it was originally listed for?
WW: Another Day…
Raise your hand if you've seen a fire door like this. Now wave a virtual hello! :D A fire barrier can't do its job with a big hole in it!
QQ: Sealant/Caulk Around Fire Door Frames
Today's Quick Question: Is sealant required around a fire door frame - where it meets the sheetrock?
QQ: Manufacturing Tolerances on Fire Doors
If NFPA 80 requires 1/8-inch or 3/16-inch maximum perimeter clearance for fire door assemblies, is it acceptable to add the manufacturing tolerance to that dimension?
Closed Doors in the News
Three recent news stories - two illustrating the benefits of closed residential doors, and one from Kristin Bigda at NFPA regarding fire door operation and the Coronavirus.
WWYD? Memory Care “Signs”?
One side of this device is attached to the door with double-sided tape, and the other side is magnetic. It is used in a memory care facility to indicate whether a resident's room is vacant or occupied. WWYD?
Updated FDAI Cards (and a label question)
The new fire door inspection cards have been updated, and they will be printed and laminated soon! Thank you for your patience! (I also have a label question for you.)
FF: Spring-Loaded Top Latch
It's fire exit hardware, so it has to latch!
Decoded: Extraneous Labels on Fire Door Assemblies
If a labeled fire door is installed in a location where a fire door is not required, must the assembly be maintained and inspected according to the requirements of NFPA 80?
Fire Door Inspection Cards
Do you use our laminated fire door assembly inspection cards? I could really use your help!
FDNY Commission Daniel Nigro on Up Close
Yesterday, FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro spoke with Bill Ritter on the show Up Close about recent fires that occurred in NYC, where open doors had a negative impact on safety.
Two Kitchen Fires
Fire, panic, and other emergencies can strike anywhere, any time. To offer the highest level of protection, buildings must be code-compliant everywhere, all the time.
Six Locked Doors – Watch it.
This documentary should be required viewing - not just for those of us who are involved in codes, but for anyone who enters buildings (that means everyone).
FF: Permanently Dogged
Another Friday, another "fix." This fire door probably won't perform as designed and tested, should a fire occur. Why does convenience so often win out over safety??
FF: Angled Opening
Check out this opening, installed on a ramp in a restaurant. The building was originally a warehouse for a grain mill and other materials shipped by train during the mid-1800s. Can you see the "fix"?
FF: Clamp Hold-Open
The creative solutions never end! RB Sontag of Allegion sent me today's Fixed-it Friday photo, and if this is a fire door, we've got a problem.
FF: Wood Wedge Problem Solvers
There's more than one way to hold open a door for convenience, and if it's a fire door, the method needs to be code-compliant. Here's a great Fixed-it Friday example.
Extraneous Fire Door Assembly Labels
If a door or frame has a label indicating that is is fire rated, is the assembly required to be maintained and inspected as required by NFPA 80 and NFPA 101? A proposed code change offers a clarification.
Locksmith Ledger: Codes Matter – For the Safety of Building Occupants, AND Your Bottom Line
This article was published in the October 2019 issue of Locksmith Ledger, and includes some questions that you can use to determine whether your code knowledge is up-to-date.
QQ: Do all fire exits have fire exit hardware?
Do all fire exit doors have fire exit hardware? Even if you already know the answer to this question, today's blog post might help you explain it to someone who disagrees.
Training Opportunity (with AIA and DHI credit)!!
If you're anywhere near Cleveland, Ohio, I just found out about a great opportunity on Thursday, November 7th for you to attend our Code Update Roundtable!
FF: Screws
It warms my heart that in the last 10 years, the number of people who actually notice these problems (and often do something to resolve them) has increased significantly.
WW: Slammer Spring
Maybe rules really are made to be broken? Which code requirements are being violated with this creative Wordless Wednesday installation?
WWYD? Performance-Based Option
Do you know of any facility that is using the performance-based option for fire door assembly inspection? I asked the Joint Commission about it...
SDI: Fire Door Assembly Video
Have you ever wished for a short video that gives an overview of fire door assemblies? The Steel Door Institute (SDI) recently released a 2-minute video that covers the basics.
WW: Assisted Living Fire Doors
Imagine that you are moving your mom into an assisted living facility, and you notice that the door closer on every fire-rated apartment entrance door has been disconnected...
FF: Please Shut Door
The door in these photos is at the top of the stairs in a bar, exiting from a non-sprinkled basement assembly room that is used for weddings and parties. What do you think? OK or NO WAY?
WW: Close Fire Doors
This sign - and the fire door it's attached to - are definitely left over from the Olden Days. There was a time when fire doors were closed manually to protect the building when it was unoccupied.
ASHE on Fire Door Inspections
The first step in improving fire door safety is identifying the problems that are consistently seen in the field. How can the industry help improve the durability and performance of opening protectives?
QQ: Existing Frame, No Fire Label
Regarding an existing fire door assembly - the door has a fire label but the frame does not. Is the frame required to have a label?
Top-10 – FF: All-Time Fave (so far)
Here it is - my favorite Fixed-it Friday photo of all time (so far)! If you have any interesting door photos from your summer vacation, I'd love to see them!
Allegion Code Reference Guide
The day has finally arrived. The updated Allegion Code Reference Guide is ready - 40 pages of code information that you can download for free!
Classroom Lockdown Modification
Will this screen door latch keep out a school shooter? Or maybe two would be sufficient? Hopefully we'll never have to find out.
WW: Fire Door Smoke Test
Much of the work to replace deficient fire doors in London residential blocks has not been completed, so one man decided to take matters into his own hands to prove a point. Don't do this.
QQ: Fire Test Standard for Sliding Doors
An architect is interested in specifying a sliding fire door assembly for a project, but I see that the product is listed to UL 10B. I thought fire doors were required to be listed to UL 10C?
Construction Specifier: Smoke Doors vs. Fire Doors – What’s the Difference?
I receive so many questions about fire doors vs. smoke doors; my article from the June issue of Construction Specifier answers many of them.
QQ: Coordinators on Fire Doors
When a pair of fire doors has manual flush bolts and no closer on the inactive leaf, is a coordinator required?
Decoded: Thresholds and Gasketing for Fire Doors and Smoke Doors
Thresholds and gasketing are simple in comparison to other types of hardware, but the code requirements can make them difficult to properly specify and supply.
New York in the News
These news stories both happen to be from New York City, and both address topics that made me go hmmm... What do you think?
QQ: Painting/Refinishing Fire Doors
Does painting or refinishing a fire door in the field void the label? The answer to today's Quick Question seems obvious, but can you prove it?
North Tunica County Fire Department
Someone recently asked me...if residential bedroom doors do such a great job of keeping the fire out, why bother with fire doors? What's the difference?