FF: Cross-Corridor Pair
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?
Just close the door!
It has taken a looooong time to get the general public to listen, but people are finally talking about the importance of closed doors...
Decoded: Recent and Upcoming Changes to the Model Codes (April 2017)
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...
CMS Interprets Emergency Departments to be Healthcare Occupancies
Because there are so many iDH readers who work for or with health care facilities, I am sharing this information here...
In the News…
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...
QQ: Holding Force for Automatic-Closing Doors
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)?
FF: Over the Railing, or Under?
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...
Fire Door Inspection App
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...
Arson at Westlake Apartments
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...
DHI – Safely Securing the Built Environment through Building, Fire, and Life Safety Codes (video)
This is a good introductory video from the Door & Hardware Institute on how codes impact our industry. For additional training on codes...
WWYD? Too-high vision lights – frosted glass?
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...
Fire Door Inspection Training
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...
QQ: What is the minimum GWB penetration for a fire-rated frame?
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?
FF: Fire Door Signage
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...
WW: Delayed Egress Mag-Lock
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...
Architects’ Journal: Form Studio completes reworking of ‘cookie cutter’ nineties flat
Looking at the photos that accompany the article, the closing device is mounted in the door edge. Has anyone used this type of product?
Decoded: Requirements for Door-Related Signage
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!
Open Fire Door = Insurance Won’t Pay?
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...
Fire Doors in the News
Happy New Year! There was lots of door-related news over the holidays...
FF: Storage Room Pair
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...
QQ: Can I remove the hardware from a fire door and permanently close it?
Yesterday I received a question from an AHJ, about a condominium complex. Each condo has a fire door as the main entrance...
Holiday Door Decorating
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...
FF: Stairs
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...
Dormitory Tragedy – Ankara, Turkey
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...
QQ: Does every component of a fire door assembly have to be listed/labeled?
At least once a week someone asks me whether each and every component of a fire door assembly has to be listed or labeled...
FDAI in the News
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...
Fire Door Label Mismatch
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...
FF: NOT Fire Door
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...
School/College Planning & Management
What should a school consider before purchasing classroom barricade devices, also known as temporary door locking devices?
QQ: Fire Door Frames with Existing Wall Anchors
"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?"
WWYD? Manual Flush Bolts on Fire-Rated Pairs
Manual flush bolts on pairs of fire doors leading to rooms not normally occupied by humans? WWYD?
Decoded: Dwelling Unit & Sleeping Unit Entrance Doors
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...
WWYD? Clearance vs. Undercut
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...
Construction Specifier: Battling the Barricade
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...
Garage Fire Door
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...
WW: Trouble in Texarkana
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!
Fire Exit Hardware – Under Fire
I received a question recently about testing of fire exit hardware - when panic hardware is tested for use on fire doors, is it mounted on the fire side (facing the furnace) or the non-fire-side of the door?
BUILDINGS BUZZ – Voices from the Industry
I currently have an article on BUILDINGS BUZZ…the blog for BUILDINGS, a magazine for commercial building owners and facilities management professionals. The article covers some of the code changes...
Decoded: NFPA 80 Requirements for Hinges, Pivots, and Continuous Hinges
With the continued focus on fire door assemblies, it’s important to be familiar with the basic requirements as well as what has changed in the more recent codes and standards. This article focuses on hinge requirements for fire doors...
Fire Door Hardware vs. Builders Hardware
I've been asked several times - what is the difference between a swinging door with builders hardware (addressed in Chapter 6 of NFPA 80) and a swinging door with fire door hardware (covered in Chapter 7)?
Fire Door Win!
Kudos to the fire department, but the fire doors got some recognition too! From KCRA News...
FF: Dutch Door Modification
This Wordless Wednesday photo from Paul Shaaf and Kevin Lach of Twin City Hardware is a first for me. And after 7+ years of writing this blog, I don't say that very often. Enjoy.
Fire Door – Time to Close
How quickly should a fire door close? If the door closes too slowly, could it negatively impact the ability of the fire door to deter the spread of smoke and flames?
Fire Fight – ProPublica
For the last year or more, our industry has been dealing with legislation overriding the code development process in several states, with regard to classroom security...
New CMS Final Fire Safety Regulations – Ober|Kaler Health Law Group
This article about the updated CMS fire safety regulations crossed my desk over the weekend, and it contains a lot of information about how these changes will affect health care facilities...
Repairing Holes and Dents in Fire Doors
A very common repair includes installing steel fasteners in unused holes, grinding off the fastener heads, and concealing the repair with Bondo, but this is not specifically mentioned in NFPA 80...
WWYD? Concealed Closer for Heavy Door
This is a real-life problem on a current project and I know someone out there has a good answer. Here is a description of the doors...
WWYD? Fire Door Inspections
Will fire door inspections be enforced for health care facilities? NFPA 101-2012 clearly requires them, but it seems that more proof was needed...
NFPA 101 – A few more changes…
Last week I posted my next Decoded article - about changes affecting door openings between the 2000 edition of NFPA 101 and the 2012 edition. Paul Dzurinda of Russell Phillips & Associates sent me a few more changes that we should be aware of...
Decoded: Changes to the Life Safety Code for Health Care Occupancies (July 2016)
In case you haven't noticed, there is an interesting conversation happening on my post from earlier in the week about classroom barricade devices. If you have something informative to add in response to the manufacturers of these products...