Escape Room Safety (video)
I feel so grateful to be able to positively affect the safety of escape rooms worldwide, and to help AHJs who have escape rooms in their jurisdictions. Learn more in today's post!
TGP: More on Scaife Hall
When Jonathan Edly was asked about a recent project that was memorable to him, he talked about Scaife Hall. As a former specwriter who still has a mental list of favorite projects, I can relate!
WW: Secret Doors
I'm getting all kinds of ideas for secret doors in my own house! Check out this Wordless Wednesday reel, and if you have seen any secret doors, send them along!
Costco Wholesale Corporate Headquarters
I recently saw a great case study from TGP demonstrating the use of glazing in a stair enclosure to prioritize visual connection and occupant safety. Check it out in today's post!
Plan Your Escape: High-Rise Apartment Fire (video)
This week I'm in Denver with the current members of Allegion's Early Careers Program, and I found a fantastic video from the Fire Safety Research Institute to share with them. Check it out!
AMA on Fire-Rated Glazing
One of my colleagues, Dave Vermeulen of TGP, recently did an AMA for Construction Specifier about fire-rated glazing. You can watch the recording in today's post!
ADA Webinar: Doors and Gates
Last week, the U.S. Access Board conducted a webinar on the accessibility requirements related to doors and gates, and the recording is now available. The link is in today's post.
Door and Hardware Institute “School Safety” on Daytime
DHI was recently featured in an interview on DayTime addressing school security and highlighting the guidelines available from the Door Security & Safety Foundation. Check out the video in today's post.
Rescue Hardware
Our commercial product support team has created dozens of how-to videos, and this one explains rescue hardware. What other hardware concepts would you like to see illustrated in a video?
March 25th – Tragic Anniversary
Last weekend there was a large fire at a wedding venue in the city where I live...the shocking photos and videos spread quickly across social media, and everyone in town was talking about it.
Allegion 101: The Door and Frame – Republic
The Allegion 101 training series was designed for people who are new to the industry, new to the Allegion family of brands, or just want to learn more about doors and hardware. Feel free to share this post with anyone who could benefit from this introductory training.
Allegion 101: The Door and Frame – Steelcraft
The Allegion 101 training series was designed for people who are new to the industry, new to the Allegion family of brands, or just want to learn more about doors and hardware. Feel free to share this post with anyone who could benefit from this introductory training.
TGP: Street Talk
TGPs Street Talk series is an on-demand video channel where the team goes on location to see how architectural glazing products solved design challenges. Check out this video about a fire-rated stairwell that was added to a historic building in Seattle.
Allegion 101: Protect the Door – Ives, Zero, and More
Many years ago, I worked with an architectural firm that always had me write the hardware specifications for their projects. On one small job they had a tight deadline, so they edited some hardware sets from another spec...
Allegion 101: Control the Door – LCN
The Allegion 101 training series was designed for people who are new to the industry, new to the Allegion family of brands, or just want to learn more about hardware. The video in today's post addresses the basics of door closers.
STANLEY Access to Know-How: Sensor Monitoring
Yesterday, March 19th was National Automatic Door Day! To commemorate this annual observance, the video in today's post addresses a change that I've received some questions about lately...the ANSI/BHMA requirements for monitored safety sensors.
Allegion 101: Secure the Door – Von Duprin
The Allegion 101 training series was designed for people who are new to the industry, new to the Allegion family of brands, or just want to learn more about hardware. The video in today's post addresses the basics of panic hardware.
Allegion 101: Secure the Door – Intro to Schlage Cylinders, Keys, and Key Systems
The Allegion 101 training series was designed for people who are new to the industry, new to the Allegion family of brands, or just want to learn more about hardware. The video in today's post is an introduction to Schlage cylinders, keys, and key systems.
20 Years Ago: Station Nightclub Fire
Last week I visited an art and music space housed in an old cooking oil factory in Havana, Cuba. There were spaces that I would not enter, knowing what I know about nightclub fires. Today is the 20th anniversary of one of those fires - at the Station Nightclub.
Allegion 101: Hang the Door – Ives
The Allegion 101 training series was designed for people who are new to the industry, new to the Allegion family of brands, or just want to learn more about hardware. The video in today's post covers the various types of Ives products used to hang a door.
STANLEY Access Technologies: New Horizons Village
When it comes to ADA compliance, there are minimum requirements, and there are real-life requirements. STANLEY Access Technologies is proud to partner with New Horizons Village to continue this very important conversation and advance the mission of accessibility for all.
West Metro Fire Rescue: Close Before You Doze
Earlier in the week I wrote about the value of code-compliant fire doors in multifamily residential occupancies, but even non-fire-rated residential doors can play an important role during a fire. Check out this video from West Metro Fire Rescue for more...
News 12: “It’s a matter of public safety.”
In the year since 17 people lost their lives in a fire in the Bronx, NYC has taken steps to increase awareness of fire door safety and the importance of self-closing doors. A recent investigative report from News 12 shares more information about the current situation...
NFPA: The Future of Crowd Monitoring
Over the weekend, a tragic crowd crush occurred at a Halloween event in Seoul, South Korea. Although this incident occurred on a narrow street, a crowd crush can also happen inside of a building. As with all life safety issues, we must continue to be vigilant.
Classroom Locks vs. Door Barricades: How to Secure Classrooms Safely
Today begins the annual observance of America's Safe Schools Week, and I recently spent some time with Mark Williams of the Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS), talking about how to safely secure classroom doors. Watch our video in today's post.
Family Restroom Locks
Over the last few weeks I have spent a lot of time in airports, and I saw several family restroom applications "in the wild," including a restroom door with an automatic operator and an electrified locking system for privacy. Check it out!
WW: “Shocking video shows how fire burned all but one room of metro Atlanta home”
Today's Wordless Wednesday post underscores yet again the value of closed doors during a fire. If you haven't heard about the "Close Before You Doze" educational efforts, you can learn more at closeyourdoor.org.
Listen-In Video Lesson: Fire Door Inspections
I get a lot of requests for training on fire door assembly inspection, and I just realized that one of my coworker Jeff Tock's sessions was recorded and made available on YouTube! You can check it out in today's post.
NFPA Learn Something New: Is ‘Stop, Drop, and Roll’ still relevant?
As someone who grew up in the 70's and 80's, I remember learning to "Stop, Drop, and Roll" in school. To be honest, I thought this was a skill that I would use much more often, kind of like the quicksand survival tactics I obsessed about as a kid.
News 4: Over 100 building violations found after fire
With the number of apartments in a metropolis like New York City, and the prevalence of fires in multifamily buildings, how are code officials ever going to get a handle on the non-code-compliant conditions?
Safety INsight: Natchez Rhythm Club Fire
The Rhythm Club Fire in Natchez, Mississippi is yet another example of how egress doors can impact life safety during a fire. This video from the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation shares some important information about the lessons learned.
In rush to finish MSY, was the airport properly fire-proofed?
This story from WWLTV does a great job of illustrating the importance of compartmentalizing a building for fire protection. It focuses on the firestopping at the new MSY airport in New Orleans, and discusses the potential results of voids that are not code-compliant.
Documentary – America’s Deadliest Rock Concert: The Guest List
NIST - National Institute of Standards and Technology investigated the Station Nightclub Fire and published a list of 10 recommendations based on their findings. Recommendation 5 was related to egress...
New Class: A Crash Course in Codes!
I was recently asked to create a class for locksmiths, installers, or others who are looking for a crash course on the most frequently-asked code questions related to door openings. And here it is! Share it with all who could benefit from this training!
PASS Statement on Barricade Devices
There are concerns associated with barricade devices that can trap building occupants as well as delaying or preventing access by emergency responders. A statement from the Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS) explains the potential dangers...
Bronx Fire: Yes, this is a teachable moment.
When it comes to fire doors, we should not rely only on the mantra, “Close the Door, Close the Door, Close the Door.” Every fire door assembly should be inspected annually – as required by current codes – and deficiencies repaired without delay.
Bronx Fire: More Details Released
The investigation continues into last Sunday's fire in a Bronx apartment building, and the cause of the fire has been identified as a space heater. This post includes some of the latest information regarding the effects of open doors during the fire.
It’s ME – on DoorTalk!
I just got an email from a coworker in Korea, who said that it had been a long time since he had seen me, but that he was listening to one of my webinars so it was like I was right there with him. :) If you're feeling like you haven't seen me lately, check out this episode of DoorTalk!
Manufacturing Day 2021
If you're not familiar with Manufacturing Day, it's an annual series of events aimed at helping to fill 4 million high-skill, high-tech and high-paying manufacturing jobs over the next decade. Check out our US facilities in this video!
48 Hours – The Station Nightclub Fire: Who’s Responsible?
Last Saturday, our family movie night included a viewing of an episode of the TV show 48 hours, where the Station Nightclub fire was discussed in depth. If you have not seen it yet, I encourage you to watch the show.
Intro to Door Hardware: The Company We Keep (video)
If you are planning to participate in the Allegion 101 course that begins tomorrow, you may want to start with this video explaining the various organizations involved in the selection, installation, and maintenance of door openings in non-residential buildings.
Intro to Door Hardware – Electricity Basics (video)
This video is a great addition to our library of whiteboard animation videos - it explains basic electrical concepts and terms that commonly appear in the door hardware industry. You can access other videos in the library by visiting the Videos page of iDigHardware.
LCN COMPACT Operator Follow-Up (video)
My coworker, Aaren Kracich recently conducted a short training on the new LCN Compact operator for NFMT, including some Q&A. If you have any other questions you can leave them in the comment box below and I'll make sure they get answered.
NFPA: 4 Things 9/11 Changed Forever
In this month's edition of the National Fire Protection Association's series: Learning Something New, NFPA looks at changes to the world of fire and life safety in the US that occurred after the 9/11 attacks. You can read more in the NFPA Journal Article by Angelo Verzoni.
LCN COMPACT Automatic Operator
Cost and complexity can be barriers to the installation of a traditional automatic operator, but LCN has created a solution that allows an auto operator to be added to an existing 4040XP door closer. Have you seen the new LCN Compact Automatic Operator?
FF: Green Door Closer (video)
Everyone and everything seems to be going green these days...check out this green door closer, sent to me by Eyal Bedrick of Entry Systems Ltd. (Watch the video.) And Happy Fixed-it Friday!
Six Flags Haunted Castle Disaster (video)
While doing some research about special amusements and the applicable code requirements, I was reminded that the 37th anniversary of a special amusements tragedy recently passed; 8 teenagers lost their lives in this fire.
Pair with a Coordinator (video)
I've been on the lookout for a pair of doors with automatic flush bolts and a coordinator that was installed, adjusted, and functioning properly, and I finally found one last week at UTK. Here's a quick video showing how a coordinator works.
FF: Overhead Stop Application (video)
Some hardware applications are tough to explain with photos, and a video can be really helpful. In case any of you ever need to explain how overhead stops work, I made you a video! :-)
WW: Flaming Lips & Space Bubbles
I'd love to know what the fire marshal in Oklahoma City had to say about the plan for this concert! There were 100 space bubbles - each holding 1-3 people. Egress concerns, anyone? #wordless