NFPA 70 – National Electrical Code (NEC) has been adopted by most US states, and includes requirements for panic hardware or fire exit hardware on certain rooms housing electrical equipment; the voltage and amperage thresholds that determine which rooms require panic hardware were changed in the 2017 edition of this code.
Thank you to Brendan Daley for this Fixed-it Friday photo. I could fix this pretty quickly with a set of bolt cutters.
I'm very curious to know what happened here. I've never seen anything quite like it. Any ideas?
Well, this is one way to solve the problems with your panic hardware - NOT! Thanks to Charles Anderson for these Fixed-it Friday photos!
I occasionally publish a post from a guest blogger – if you have a post you’d like to share, drop me an email. Today’s post is from David Gloriso of Allegion...
While ensuring code-compliance, of course!
Today's Wordless Wednesday photos were sent by Austin Bammann of Central Indiana Hardware. This is NOT the way I would provide security at the entrance to a school. :(
Guess what this is for. And once you figure it out, what do you think about the potential impact on free egress?
Jeff Dunham of BEA sent me today's Fixed-it Friday photos. While this fire door looks pretty good at first glance, a closer look reveals someone's creative and inexpensive method of keeping the latch retracted...
Today's Fixed-it Friday photos are from Leo Lebovits at M&D Door & Hardware. Someone had the forethought to remove the exit sign...I wonder if this was approved by the AHJ...
In order for a fire door assembly to perform as designed and tested, it's critical for the door to be closed and latched if/when a fire occurs...
I. Have. No. Words.
Without proper planning, parking garages can present security and life-safety challenges. People who are authorized to use the parking area – or unauthorized people who are able to enter an open parking garage – may attempt to gain access to other floors of the building...
The most amazing thing about today's Wordless Wednesday photos is that the panic hardware has been installed this way for YEARS, and on a fast-food restaurant!
Why is it that when something goes wrong with the existing hardware, some facilities use the hardware equivalent of a band-aid rather than repairing or replacing the hardware?
Many of you have heard this story before, but this video is terrific! See if you can catch the original price of panic hardware in the catalog shown in the video! :)
This Fixed-it Friday photo is from Paul Goldense of Goldense Building Products. Paul will be teaching a fire door class with Jeff Batick of Allegion at the NFPA conference next week...
What do you think? Is this Wordless Wednesday exit visible enough?
Last week I posted a photo and asked if the signage made the door code-compliant. As many people commented, the short answer is "no." It's hard for me to resist a "teachable moment"...
Austin Bammann of Central Indiana Hardware sent me this Wordless Wednesday photo. You may notice that there is signage above the door stating, "This door needs to remain unlocked during business hours." Does this signage make the opening code-compliant? Why, or why not?
This is not the first time I've thought to myself...I hope everyone knows how lucky we are to have (mostly) code-compliant exits in the US...
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...
My husband: "Do other people cry on Wednesdays or is it just you?"
It has been a while (6 years!) since I have written about the code requirements that apply to panic hardware in my Decoded column, so it’s time for an update...
I need to make an avatar of me crying, to include with these posts.
This question has been raised a few times over the years, and it looks like we will have a clarification soon - What is the required length of the touchpad or crossbar for panic hardware and fire exit hardware?
An architect recently sent me a question and I could use some suggestions from y'all. I know what I would do, but I'd like to hear other ideas...
I have no words, except "thank you" to Fred Phillips of Interior Supply for this Wordless Wednesday photo...
Tim Weller of Allegion sent me this Wordless Wednesday photo. I have nothing to say about it. I'm just going to cry now.
Each of us has experienced the difficulties that often arise in construction, whether it's specification issues, product problems, or confusion about materials or methods...
Am I the only one who is curious about whether the tape is to keep the bolt projected for security, or retracted for safety? (I have my suspicions.)
Thank you to David R. Defilippo AIA for today's Wordless Wednesday photo...
Daniel Cannon of Allegion sent me these Wordless Wednesday photos of the back door of a restaurant. What say you?
I received this photo from Scott Aikenhead - Tech Support for Allegion Canada. I've never seen anything like this and all I can think of is that this contraption is dogging and undogging the panic hardware on a timer...
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...
This Wordless Wednesday photo came from Dustin Elam of the Santa Ana Unified School District. Dustin's not responsible for the instructional signage. :D
Not to name-drop, but when the executive leadership team starts noticing and sharing oddball hardware applications, it warms my heart. :D
GR Zechman of Allegion sent me this photo, after trying to exit through this door and stopping to investigate why the door wouldn't open. As I told GR, this photo literally brought tears to my eyes...
The panic hardware isn't a code violation but it has me scratching my head from a security standpoint. Any theories about why this happened?
In almost all cases, panic hardware is used on doors which are in the path of egress that eventually leads to the exit discharge. But - is it acceptable to install panic hardware on inswinging doors?
I am going to remain Wordless about these photos, except to say THANK YOU to Brett Africk of CBORD, who not only sent me a batch of photos of an opening he saw during a recent hotel stay, but also went BACK...
This is THE most frequently-asked question that I receive. A specifier, supplier, architect, or end user has a retail, multi-family, office building, or other type of facility, and they want to know whether the exterior, stairwell, or emergency-exit doors need panic hardware...
Leo Lebovits of M&D Door & Hardware sent me these photos from his summer vacation...this is a particularly egregious situation - very scary.
Steve Murray from Security Lock Distributors sent me these Wordless Wednesday photos...see any issues?
This is the perfect image to reinforce why it's so important to coordinate the electrified hardware / access control in advance. I have to admit - I learned this lesson the hard way...
Dave Carter of Allegion sent me today's Wordless Wednesday photo - taken in a restaurant. You might be thinking, "Maybe this isn't a required exit..."
A while back, I posted some photos of a door that had panic hardware along with several stationary push bars. Although the model codes don't specifically address this application, I don't think it's acceptable...
I received this photo from Tabor Stride of Commercial Door Company...at least it doesn't appear to be a fire door!
These were taken DURING a high school basketball game. Thank you to John Borchmann of Allied Building Products for this week's Wordless Wednesday photos.
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?
