Last week on The Building Code Forum, one of the members mentioned that their local police department recommended the installation of overlapping astragals on the exterior pairs at their schools. This left me WORDLESS! It definitely feels like 2 steps forward - 1 step back some days.
Many classrooms have a door connecting to the adjacent classroom. Correct me if I'm wrong, but since most classrooms do not require a second means of egress, I think those doors are typically there for convenience. I tried to find something in past codes that would have required the second door, but so far I only see the requirement for a second means of egress when the occupant load reaches 50 or more. (Note: There are some situations where a classroom may need to have a second means of egress because it is not located on the ground floor.)
For the record, I DO know what happened here...do you? I've only seen this one other time in my travels. This photo is from Lloyd Seliber of Keying Solutions from Macau, China.
It's been a while, so here are some of the many photos I've received from y'all...
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!
Here's a tough one...
In a brand-spanking-new huge and beautiful convention center, these attracted a lot of attention and MANY people mentioned them to me last week. The panics have hex-key dogging, so I have no idea why they've resorted to wide-scale use of velcro. Speaking of dogging...last night I went to an evening meeting at a school, and the teacher used her key to let us in the main exterior door. Once inside, she turned to face the door opening and said, "Ok - there's a trick...where is it?" Then she spied the small end of an allen wrench sticking out of a hole in the frame about 6 feet up, pulled it out, dogged the panic, and stuck the wrench back in the hole. Very high-tech. The funny thing is...the other leaf of the pair has an electric latch retraction device; all they need is a switch at the door to dog it.
Although this isn't a code violation since the doors are not fire rated, I firmly believe that failing to limit the ability to lock / unlock doors can severely impact security and the safety of building occupants. What say you?
This post was printed in the November 2013 issue of Doors & Hardware
Cory Yamaguchi of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies sent me this photo of an egress door he saw on an outing to the local dairy farm with his family. I'm picturing a farm that hosts lots of visitors, not the type where the cow:human ratio is 100:1. In addition to the creative application of pull handles, there are loops up at the top (one looks like it's missing) if they need a little extra security. If you're just tuning in, this is not code-compliant.
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. ;)
Assuming this is the back door of a restaurant, what's wrong with these pictures sent in by Eric Miles of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies (other than the fact that the door is filthy!)?
Do you know who Carl Prinzler was? Does the name ring a bell? Carl worked in the door hardware industry back in the early 20th century, and was instrumental in developing the first exit device along with his employer, Vonnegut Hardware Company and his neighbor, Henry DuPont. Recently Peter Wilson of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies came across a poem by Misha Burnett called The Ballad of Carl Prinzler, and sent me the link. I couldn't imagine who (besides me) would write a poem about Carl Prinzler, so I emailed Misha. He is a university locksmith and while taking a poetry class he also attended a Von Duprin training class and learned about the invention of the first panic hardware after the tragic fire at the Iroquois Theater, which inspired him to write the Ballad of Carl Prinzler.
Tim Kaye of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies sent me this photo of a required egress door in a school, which truly left me wordless. :(
This post was printed in the June 2013 issue of Doors & Hardware
This opening is secured by power bolts, which are released via the wall switch. The panic hardware is just for show...there's no way for the devices to latch without a mullion. :(
Vincent Chestnut of Alpha Locksmith spotted this problem on a visit to a local public safety building. Not only does the door require two motions to unlatch, the thumbturn on the combination lock doesn't look like it would be considered accessible.
Andrew Harris of Willis Klein sent me these photos of doors in a school district. He had been called in to solve the problems that caused the school to resort to these locking measures.
The 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, effective in March of 2012, included an unexpected change regarding the maximum allowable force to operate door hardware. This modification to the standards was made as an "editorial change," which is typically used to address errors or make clarifications that do not affect the scope or application of the code requirements. Editorial changes do not go through the normal code development process including committee hearings and opportunities for public comment.
This post did start out as a Wordless Wednesday post but I got a little carried away.
As most of you know, a required egress door must typically operate with only one motion to release the latch. The common exception is dwelling unit entry doors in hotels and apartment buildings, which can have one additional locking device if the occupant load of the unit is 10 or less. Take a look at this door, sent to me by Jeff Strangio of Maffey's Security Group. Do you think you could figure out how to open it in smoky conditions?
This photo was taken in a health care facility and was sent to me by both Jim Jensen and Jeff Tock of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies. :-(
I woke up this morning to yet another nightclub tragedy - this time in Santa Maria, Brazil. This fire shared common issues with many of the past nightclub fires - a high occupant load, ignition of flammable foam or decorations, no working sprinklers, insufficient or unmarked exits, and a heartbreakingly-high loss of life. The death toll currently stands at 233. I can't help but imagine the bodies of the young people lined up in the make-shift morgue, with their cell phones ringing and ringing as their friends and family search for them.
I love hardware ingenuity, especially when it's code-driven. I've spent this week in Orlando with 500+ of my coworkers, and although we haven't had a whole lot of time to hang out by the pool, I had to go check out an application that was spotted by one of our specwriters - Matt Wildman.
First, I need some help. I've seen photos of this application a few times (including this one from Jim Jensen of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies), but what do you use to attach the two closers together? Is it something that has to be custom made, or is there a standard part that can be repurposed for the job?
I can't figure out whether these are providing security or acting as the door closers, but either way they leave me wordless!
This is becoming a recurring theme. I'll be in a few airports later this week...maybe I'll see some more.
My trip to CoNEXTions 2012 in Las Vegas last week was a whirlwind! There were so many people that I didn't have a chance to catch up with - I don't know if I can wait until CoNEXTions 2014 in Dallas!
On my way to Tucson I had a layover, and every single emergency exit door was set up similar to this one. Thoughts?
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).
I couldn't have said it better myself..."Mullion? Who needs a mullion when you can just turn the exit devices 90 degrees?" From Chris Steward of Steward Steel, by way of Jim Phillips of SBS Associates.
Whatcha think? Is this exit visible enough?
Step 4: Invert the cylinder cam as shown.
Question: What's the difference between panic hardware and fire exit hardware? And what's an exit device?
I mentioned these gigantic doors in an earlier post, but I went back to see them again since we're in the neighborhood. The mosque wasn't open for tours when we were there (the only way non-Muslims can go into a mosque), but I sent my husband in with a camera and he came back with photos of panic hardware. He's learning! :-)
Question: I was told that I couldn't use dogging on panic hardware installed on fire doors. Is it acceptable to use electric dogging?
More doors from my (local) travels...
Fifteen+ years ago when I was answering technical support and customer service calls for the local Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies office, some of the most common complaints/questions were about concealed vertical rod exit devices. Installers HATED them because they were difficult to install and adjust. End users had a lot of problems maintaining them and keeping them properly adjusted, especially if they were installed by an inexperienced installer. So my early experience with the company, and prior to that with a hardware distributor, taught me that concealed vertical rods = problems. I developed a strong preference for removable mullions with rim panic hardware.
When I was in Florida a couple of weeks ago for the IAPSC conference, it also happened to be school vacation week so I brought the kids along for a visit to my parents' house. They all survived while I was in Miami Beach, so when I got back from the conference I took them to Universal Studios Islands of Adventure in Orlando. One of our Florida specwriters, Steve King, had written the hardware spec for the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and I couldn't pass up the chance to check it out.
These buildings were ALL OCCUPIED when these photos were taken. Depressing.
I was working on a different post but that one will have to wait. I just received these photos, it's Wordless Wednesday, and I am wordless (yes, again). This is an exit for a hockey rink, sent in by an anonymous reader. Hockey rinks are notoriously tough on their doors and hardware, but this "solution" makes me want to cry.
These ALL came from Jeff Tock, one of our national trainers who spends most weeks traveling around conducting classes and sees a lot of doors in the process. Jeff will be here in New England in a few weeks conducting the "Preparing for a Fire Door Inspection" class for facilities. If you work for a hospital, school, university, or other type of facility in the area and want to make sure that you're prepared, let me know and I'll put you on the invitation list.
Remember the old video of the various types of exit devices being run over by a fire truck? It's a classic, and I still get the urge to watch it every so often..."I am examining the [flattened] device. It is not working." You could make the case that a panic device doesn't need to withstand the weight of a fire truck, but I've seen some herds of kids run out of school at the end of the day that are almost as tough.
How about some reader photos to ease you into the weekend? :D
By the time most of you read this it will be Thursday, but right now it's Wordless Wednesday!
Way back in hardware school we were taught that rim panic hardware with a removable mullion is the most secure and maintenance-free application for a pair of doors. Most facilities prefer mullions instead of vertical rod panic hardware, which can be difficult to install and to keep properly adjusted. On the other hand, most architects request concealed vertical rod panic hardware, to avoid seeing the mullion or rods. I think the benefits of the mullion far outweigh any aesthetic issues.
Even though I risked being called a weirdo by my colleagues, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to try to learn more about the 5" wide edge channels that are sometimes required on fire-rated wood doors with concealed vertical rod exit devices. When these channels show up on the jobsite without warning, architects tend to be less than pleased. The interesting thing about these doors is that although they have the channels and fire exit hardware, there are no visible labels on the doors or frames. It's possible that the door label is on top, although the concealed closer channels take up most of the real estate up there. We explored ways to check the top of these super-tall doors, but it will have to remain a mystery unless we can sweet-talk our way onto the lift they use to change the lightbulbs.
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