While the exterior cladding on the building is being investigated for its contribution to the blaze, there are also news reports where witnesses are quoted as saying that the door leading to the apartment of fire origin was left open. This undoubtedly impacted the egress routes...
Even if this jurisdiction is not yet enforcing fire door assembly inspections for schools, the school is required to keep their fire doors code-compliant and to repair them in a manner that is acceptable to NFPA 80...
Now that the NFPA 101 vote has passed, the 2018 model codes will be pretty consistent with regard to classroom security. I pulled together information from the IBC, IFC, and NFPA 101 for this article...
Can someone explain this please?
The rapidly-approaching deadline for fire door inspections in health care facilities is resulting in LOTS of questions about fire door assemblies. The most FAQ in the last few weeks has been...
The application is in a building where the floors are out of level, and the fire door frames are installed with one jamb flush with the floor, leaving the other jamb with a gap...
With the increased use of sprinkler systems in commercial and institutional buildings, the need for temperature-rise doors has declined, but there are still locations where they are required...
Which door openings are required to have gasketing, according to NFPA 101 - The Life Safety Code?
This Wordless Wednesday photo is from the newly-deputized Joe Cross of Allegion. I have no words...at least no words that would be allowed on a corporate website...
I have received several calls from people who are interested in becoming fire door inspectors or who are wondering if an inspection by their in-house staff is acceptable to the Joint Commission...
What if a facility locksmith has fire exit hardware on the shelf and considers installing it on a non-fire-rated door? Or maybe a fire door is no longer needed...
A long, long time ago, I created a fire door inspection checklist; it was even published in a book. Given the new requirements for health care facilities...
Readers often ask me to share photos of fire door assemblies that have helped to prevent a fire from spreading. I just received the photos below...
So far, there are 20 comments on the Fixed-it Friday post from last week, so I think a follow-up is in order...
Today's Fixed-it Friday photo came from Revelation Door Inspections. This is a pair of fire doors in a university education building. See any problems?
It has taken a looooong time to get the general public to listen, but people are finally talking about the importance of closed doors...
When I started increasing my focus on the code requirements that affect our industry, I looked forward to receiving the new editions of the model codes and standards, so I could page through them and find out what was new...
Because there are so many iDH readers who work for or with health care facilities, I am sharing this information here...
A code inspector in Schenectady, New York has been indicted along with the building manager, in connection with a 2015 apartment fire that resulted in 4 fatalities...
I've received this question a couple of times lately...What is the maximum holding force allowed for an electromagnetic holder (or other automatic-closing device)?
Before any of you point out that we don't know whether this is a fire door - that is true. But it opens from a stairwell, so there is a high probability that it is a fire door assembly. And maybe the door is still in use...
About 5 years ago I was in a large hospital that had just spent thousands of dollars (probably tens of thousands) to have a "pre-Joint-Commission inspection" done...
This fire was also mentioned in a report called Selected Published Incidents Involving Fire Doors, which was compiled for me by NFPA's One Stop Data Shop back in 2009...
This is a good introductory video from the Door & Hardware Institute on how codes impact our industry. For additional training on codes...
Some new fire doors were ordered and manufactured with 5-inch x 20-inch vision lights located with the bottom of the light about about 46 inches from the bottom of the door...
I get calls every week about training on fire door inspections - how and where to learn more. I just read that NFPA and DSSF are teaming up to provide 1-day training sessions...
This question has come up a few times lately...many of us have been taught that sheetrock/drywall/wallboard has to penetrate at least 1/2 inch behind the returns on a fire-rated frame, but where is that stated?
If you read my recent article on code requirements pertaining to signage, you'll be able to identify the problem with this creative Fixed-it Friday signage on a fire door assembly...
With the recent adoption of NFPA 101-2012 by CMS, the annual inspection of fire door assemblies has become a top priority for many health care facilities...
Looking at the photos that accompany the article, the closing device is mounted in the door edge. Has anyone used this type of product?
Here's my next Decoded article...I had to do some research on this topic since it's not one that I typically address, so let me know if I missed anything!
If insurance companies stop paying claims because of fire door assemblies that are not properly maintained, or because a fire door was not closed and latched when the fire occurred, fire doors are going to start getting a lot more attention...
Happy New Year! There was lots of door-related news over the holidays...
I wish I had a nickel for every storage room door like this one I've seen. The flush bolts end up breaking through (as evidenced by the lovely repair to the bottom bolt area), and in this case the strike is gone too...
Yesterday I received a question from an AHJ, about a condominium complex. Each condo has a fire door as the main entrance...
Now, before you call me Scroogette, I do love doors and holiday decorating, and I can understand the appeal. BUT, there are a few rules to keep in mind...
I am often asked to provide "proof" that this type of repair is unacceptable. Often the most direct route to find that evidence is to ask...
Last week I was contacted by an architect from Istanbul, about a recent fire that occurred in a girls' dormitory there. There were 12 fatalities...
At least once a week someone asks me whether each and every component of a fire door assembly has to be listed or labeled...
I have several Google News alerts set, so every day I receive a few emails with lists of articles that might be interesting to the readers of iDigHardware. There was one on today's list about fire door inspection...
Several of the comments on Friday's post mentioned this section of NFPA 101, as a reason that labeled doors must be maintained as fire door assemblies (even if not required) or that the labels must be removed...
Today's Fixed-it Friday post includes a serious question for all of you to ponder. I'll get to it in a minute. First...I received the photos below from a code official...
What should a school consider before purchasing classroom barricade devices, also known as temporary door locking devices?
"When I'm installing a fire-rated frame into an existing opening using existing wall anchors, how much space can I have around the frame, and what is permissible to use to seal that gap?"
Manual flush bolts on pairs of fire doors leading to rooms not normally occupied by humans? WWYD?
According to the International Building Code (IBC) and NFPA 101 – The Life Safety Code, most doors in a means of egress are required to unlatch with one releasing operation. One exception to this rule is when a door leads to a residential dwelling unit or sleeping unit...
Last week I got a call about a problem that led me to do some research on the difference between the clearance and the undercut on a fire door. On the project in question, the fire doors were supplied with a 5/8-inch undercut...
In the wake of any tragedy, society struggles collectively to process the loss. For some it is the loss of friends and loved ones, but for most it is our feelings of safety and trust in the overall goodness of our fellow man that are diminished or seemingly lost entirely. In their place, we are filled with an overwhelming desire to do something...
These photos from the Glassboro Fire Department are a terrific reminder of the value of fire doors. Although most doors in single-family homes are not required to be fire-rated, the International Residential Code does require protection between the garage and the home...
I am writing this blog post from a hotel in Texarkana, Arkansas, where I saw the Wordless Wednesday door in the photos below. I hope that by the time you read this post I will be back on the road. Fingers crossed!
