Update on Classroom Barricade Devices
If you're thinking that this post doesn't apply to you because you're not in Ohio, think again. Several states are becoming more proactive about this issue to try to avoid similar legislation...
America’s Maginot Line, Lt. Joseph Hendry
In the October issue of Doors & Hardware, Lt. Hendry shares the law enforcement perspective on the use of classroom barricade devices, in an article called America's Maginot Line - Why our focus on secondary locking devices makes us more vulnerable to threats...
Barricade Device Update (October 2015)
In the October issue of Doors & Hardware, I have an article on what took place in Ohio with regard to the state legislation on classroom barricade devices, and another article covering the myths and facts presented at the National Association of State Fire Marshals' annual conference (here's a video version of this information)...
WW: Classroom Security
According to Nathan Burkhardt of Opening Technologies, this church addressed their classroom security by adding shades for the vision lites, and changing the locks to office function with a turn-button. Because the kids and teachers were getting injured by the sharp turn-button design...
AP: Safety Experts Question Classroom Barricade Devices
You may have read the AP article that appeared in the news media across the country over the weekend, addressing some of the concerns associated with classroom barricade devices. In case you missed it...
FF: School Safety “Sew-cials”
Ideally a classroom door can be locked from within the classroom without opening the door and potential exposing the teacher to an intruder in the hallway. Many schools have existing classroom function locksets, which have to be locked by inserting a key in the outside cylinder. When a district doesn't have the funding to replace the locks...
The Safest School in America?
What do you think? Is this the safest school in America?
Guidance Issued on Barricade Devices for Schools
Ohio BBS Guidance Document: "Schools are being cautioned against purchasing and deploying devices before the rules take effect as some devices currently on the market may not be allowable once new rules are adopted."
FF: School Security Vault
What do you think of this new Fixed-it Friday product idea? It looks like it would be a little pricey and I'm not sure how a whole class would fit inside, but I give him credit for the engineering. I could use one of these to hide from my kids. :)
Classroom Barricade Myths and Facts (video)
Last month, along with a panel of experts, I presented the myths and facts about classroom barricade devices on behalf of the Door Security and Safety Foundation for the annual conference of the National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM). I recorded my portion of the presentation so I could post the myths and facts here. Feel free to share the link with those considering the use of barricade devices, or any jurisdictions discussing the possibility of changing their codes.
FF: Access Control Override
This Fixed-it Friday photo illustrates the common problem of an access control system that has been modified for convenience. No matter how much time and money are invested in planning and installing a system, human intervention is always a factor...
Dateline – The Road Home
If you have not watched this 2014 Dateline series on school shootings, it gives the perspective of survivors and describes their struggles in the months and years after the tragedies occurred. Very moving.
WW: Barring Imminent Threats
Articles touting the value of classroom barricade devices without any mention of the related safety issues are legitimizing the use of these devices that are not compliant with the model codes. An article in this month's Security Management magazine, a publication of ASIS International, covers the perceived security benefits of the devices used in the Mentor, Ohio school district...
NASFM Annual Conference
Today I presented as part of a panel discussion at the annual conference of the National Association of State Fire Marshals, along with my fellow panelists: Larry Flowers - Ohio State Fire Marshal, Ed Paulk - Alabama State Fire Marshal, Kelly Nicolello of UL, and John Woestman of the Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association. The panel was moderated by Jim Tidwell of Tidwell Code Consulting, and Jim Narva of NASFM kicked it off.
Ohio Board of Building Standards Final Report
As many of you know, I have been closely watching the barricade device issue in Ohio. If you haven't been following along, here's the summary of what happened:
Options for Securing Classroom Doors (video)
Here's the latest in our series of whiteboard animation videos explaining door-related topics. This one covers various options for securing classroom doors, in alignment with the guidelines from the National Association of State Fire Marshals. Enjoy and share!
Construction Specifier: Hazards of Traditional Wired Glass
(Note: If you're in the St. Louis area, there is a school security seminar coming up on July 22th, and there's still space if you want to attend.) Today's post: I haven't posted much about traditional wired glass lately, but the hazard continues to be present in existing schools and other facilities...
How Many School Shootings?
I read an interesting article in the Washington Post yesterday, about the statistics on school shootings. The Fact Checker column asks, "Has there been one school shooting per week since Sandy Hook?" and examines a statement made by Senator Chris Murphy during a speech on the Senate floor last week:
Schools Lack Funding to Make Security Improvements – NECN
This report gives a very good overview of what we're up against in the mission to secure schools while maintaining life safety. If funding is not available, schools will come up with their own solutions. If those solutions are not code-compliant, legislators will override the codes. This will continue to happen until another tragedy occurs. I wonder how many tragedies it will take.
Non-Code-Compliant Ingenuity
How do we help to ensure that these creative problem-solvers have the necessary information when considering a do-it-yourself approach?
Why We Don’t Have to Destroy the Fire Code to Save Lockdown, Lt. Joseph Hendry
You may remember a guest blog post from Lieutenant Joseph Hendry, who is with the Kent State University Police Department and the ALICE Training Institute. Lt. Hendry has an article in this month's Campus Safety Journal, on the challenges created by using barricade devices for classroom lockdown. Here's my favorite part...
Ohio Barricade Bills
If you live and/or work in Ohio, it is not too late to talk to the state legislators in your district(s). If you call their offices, you may be able to talk to them directly or get an email address. The Door Security and Safety Foundation has compiled some information that might be helpful to send along with your concerns...
FF: Ohio
As many of you know, on Fridays I usually post a photo of a creative way someone has solved a door problem, which is often non-code-compliant and unsafe. If you've arrived here today looking forward to this week's Fixed-it Friday photo, I apologize because I have to write about another type of "creative problem-solver" today.
School Liability and the Law of Unintended Consequences
MANY people have asked me about the potential for liability if a school chooses to secure their classroom doors using a barricade device that inhibits or deters egress. Could a school be held liable? I didn't know the answer, so we enlisted the help of an attorney to help us understand the considerations...
What happened in Ohio?
As many of you know, a public hearing with the Ohio Board of Building Standards was held last Friday. This hearing was part of an ongoing discussion about whether Ohio should allow barricade devices to be used to secure classroom doors. There was a previous hearing where invited speakers presented their views; on Friday the podium was open to anyone who had something to share with the Board. These hearings were prompted by the filing of bills in the Ohio House and Senate, summarized as:
What’s a barricade device, anyway?
As I have been preparing for tomorrow's public hearing in Ohio along with members of the door and hardware industry, code officials, and others interested in the classroom barricade issue, I came to a realization: some of the people involved in this debate are not familiar with how barricade devices work...
Ohio Hearing – Security Industry Association
I could use your help with my testimony for the upcoming hearing. If you were sitting in the hot seat in front of the Board, what would you say??
FF: Latch Preventer
Today's Fixed-it Friday photo came from Paul Cernak of Allegion. It's another creatively-ingenious lockdown method that is not code-compliant. The white block is attached to the frame with a magnet. The outside lever of the active leaf is kept in the locked position, and the block prevents the door from closing completely...
Minnesota Rationale
This document does not technically apply to facilities located outside of Minnesota, but this reasonable insight from authorities with decades of fire safety experience can not be ignored. To me, this rationale was particularly powerful given the fact that Minnesota is the location of the 2005 school shooting at Red Lake High School, where a 16-year-0ld killed 7 people and wounded 5 others. Although the classroom doors were locked...
Understanding Lock Functions
This article, which appears in the May 2015 issue of Doors & Hardware, is a good explanation of lock functions that might be helpful when a school is considering how to address classroom security. I will add this to the list of resources on my Schools tab (above)...
ALOA Keynotes – A Call to Arms for All Locksmiths
I can understand politicians would have a hard time voting against anything that’s supposed to help protect children in an active shooter situation. On the other hand, I’m not happy with the rationale that suggests that because school fires are on the decline but active shooters are on the rise, this type of locking system can be used...
FF: Classroom Latch Preventer
These Fixed-it Friday photos depict one school's method for providing classroom security. The outside lever is kept locked at all times, so closing the door is all that's required to secure the classroom during an emergency. But having a classroom door locked all the time can be inconvenient - someone has to open the door each time a student or staff member wants to enter...
Door Security & Safety Foundation on Classroom Safety
The Door Security & Safety Foundation recently published their position on school safety and classroom barricade devices. I have added this link to the Schools tab above.
Keys to Classroom Security
This is a shorter version of my article Barricade Device? Think Twice! that can be used in newsletters if the original article is too long. Please leave a comment below if you submit either article for publication, including the name of the publication and the approximate date.
Options for Securing Classroom Doors
Here is my second draft script for an upcoming whiteboard animation video. I really appreciate everyone who made suggestions for yesterday's script - I have made some changes. Please comment if there is anything I need to add or change for this video about a very important topic.
WW: School Security
Why? Because it's easier and less expensive to secure the door when you don't consider codes or safety.
WW: PSA? Really??
I'm at the BHMA Codes and Government Affairs meeting in sunny Fort Lauderdale, and the "public service announcement" below was just shown during our discussion about codes that pertain to the use of barricade devices in schools. It illustrates the marketing methods used by some of the manufacturers of these locking devices. I will remain Wordless, but you don't have to!
Cleveland Hill School’s Fire Legacy
Take a close look around the next time you’re in a school building. Notice the fire alarms, extinguishers, rescue windows and frequent drills? They can all be traced back to that fateful day, experts say. “All of that put together has made our school buildings so safe when it comes to fires,” said David G. Hess, Cleveland Hill’s director of facilities. “That fire has really made a difference.”
We need to do this right. – Lt. Joseph A. Hendry Jr. , CLEE
Lt. Joseph A. Hendry Jr. , CLEE - "As I'm reading the open source material on the German plane crash, I keep returning to one thought: Someone developed a fail safe way to keep people out of the cockpit, without adequately thinking about what would happen if the threat was already in the cockpit."
Cook County pushing schools to become safer — with help of Homeland Security
This video offers some good options for school security, along with predicted outcomes of the Sandy Hook lawsuit regarding security glazing and lockable classroom doors. We need to make schools SAFE AND SECURE - these goals are not mutually exclusive.
WW: School Security in the News
The Leelanau County Sheriff's Department received $128,750 from a Michigan State Police school safety grant, and Sheriff Mike Borkovich said every penny will go toward installing a tool designed to make doors impenetrable. "I think it's very much just like a caveman picking up a gigantic rock and putting it on the front of its cave," Borkovich said. "You are not going to be able to go through that door. It buys us time."
Barricade Device? Think Twice! (May 2015)
I've edited this article and the downloadable PDF - feel free to share it!...There is a question currently under debate in several jurisdictions across the country – should barricade devices be used to secure classroom doors during an active-shooter incident?
WW: Meanwhile, in Arkansas…
A bill to change the state fire code and allow barricade devices in Arkansas schools is moving through the legislative process, despite "strong objections" from State Police Capt. Lindsey Williams, who serves as state fire marshal. Several politicians including an Arkansas state senator are investors in a company that makes barricade devices - ULockitSecurity...
NASFM: Classroom Door Security and Locking Hardware
The National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM) has posted a document on their website which offers that support, by providing guidance on the use of classroom door security and locking hardware. The 6-page document includes a suggested classroom door checklist, with code references for each item on the list...
Ohio decision will have nationwide impact
If you don't think the Ohio barricade situation applies to you because you don't live in Ohio, or because you don't do school-related work, think again. Please read the article below. It is crucial for us to spread the word about a balanced approach to school security.
The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio schools can’t use barricades to keep gunmen out
Will lawmakers uphold the codes that have been protecting us for decades, or will they change state laws to satisfy the parents and teachers who are pushing for a change that would sacrifice free egress in favor of inexpensive locking methods?
State board rules against classroom door blocking devices
The group ultimately raised over $30,000 and purchased the devices, but were then told that the devices did not comply with egress code requirements and a variance would be needed before the devices could be used. The variance hearing for the barricade devices to be used on the district's high school was held yesterday, and the variance request was denied...
Lock Functions for Classrooms – Pros and Cons
On February 12th, the Sandy Hook Advisory Commission released the draft of their final report, presented to Connecticut State Governor Dannel P. Malloy. The report includes many recommendations to improve school security, including several related to locks / physical security...
ALICE does not endorse any brand of barricading devices
When discussing code-compliant security with staff from schools and other types of facilities, I've heard one comment several times..."If ALICE training [the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, our local police department] advocates the barricading of doors with furniture, why can't we use the door barricade devices that are now on the market?"
WW: Shattered security – Surviving Red Lake teacher calls for change
I've written several posts about glass used in schools, and many posts about traditional wired glass (refer to the Glass tab above). A reader recently shared the video below and although it was recorded several years ago it includes very valid information for schools to consider when addressing security. I can't embed the video, so click the graphic to visit the news site.