FF: LifeDoor
Joel Sellinger of LifeDoor sent me these photos of the bedroom door in an AirBNB, along with a note that said, "When you realize the importance of a closed door at night...but can’t!"
I-Team: Fire-Rated, Self-Closing Door Was Required in Bronx Apartment Where Inferno Started
I suspect that many of you already know what the topic of today's post will be; many readers sent me links to news reports on last week's fire in a Bronx apartment building.
FF: Ship Shape
This is one of the most amazing doors I've ever seen!
Access Board Video on Maneuvering Clearance
I found this video while I was creating the class on maneuvering clearances, and I think it does a great job of explaining the maneuvering clearance requirements of the ADA, and a few other basic accessibility requirements pertaining to doors...
WW: What’s missing?
This Wordless Wednesday video is from the Daily Mail...what's missing from this application?
Six Locked Doors
Today is the 75th anniversary of the fire at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub in Boston - one of the tragedies that had the biggest impact on the codes that pertain to doors, hardware, and means of egress. A new documentary recounts the stories of some of the survivors, and memorializes the 492 people who lost their lives that day.
Close Before You Doze
When Good Morning America starts talking about closing doors, you know this important advice will (finally!) start to reach the masses. Check out this UL test and see the amount of protection provided by the closed doors, and share it with your friends and loved ones using the Share/Save icon above...
FF: The New Mag-Locks
I know...these would not be code-compliant on the egress side of a door in the means of egress, but you have to admit they're cool. Thanks to Leo Lebovits of M&D Door & Hardware for sending me the links to these Fixed-it Friday videos!
NFPA Webinar: Influence of gap size around swinging doors on fire and smoke development
NFPA recently posted the video of a webinar that answers some questions about clearances around fire door and smoke door assemblies...
Fire Door Video
It's Fire Door Safety Week in the UK, and although we don't have an official week dedicated to fire doors in the US, I'm going to share some of the great information from the UK...
WW: How You Can Help Spot Fire Hazards
I was so excited to see this video from the Texas State Fire Marshal's office talking about egress and fire hazards, but I noticed a little problem with one of the doors. Can you find it?
FF: NFPA 101-2018 on Classroom Security
This post has a lot going on. First, since it's Fixed-it Friday and I don't want to disappoint anyone, here's a photo from Bill Stock of Johnson Hardware...
WW: Rope and Cleat System
I give up. Not really. I will never give up.
Logan the Locksmith
Tomorrow is my birthday. Not just any birthday - my 50th! The other day someone said to me, "Don't worry! 50 is the new 70!!!" What???
Honolulu High-Rise Fire
Last week, 3 lives were lost in a fire that occurred in a residential high-rise in Honolulu, Hawaii. Although the cause is not yet known...
FF: “Please help – I’m stuck in here.”
This is why doors are required to provide free egress. Even doors used by very few people, leading to tiny rooms that may need more security than the average closet.
Stack Pressure (video)
Have you run into problems with the effects of building stack pressure on the operation of doors? Here's a new whiteboard animation video that explains the basics of stack pressure...
The Story Behind Von Duprin
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! :)
WW: ABC7NY – Underground Dance Dangers
Call me naive, but I always assume that when tragedy strikes, people will learn from it and try to avoid similar incidents in the future. Unfortunately, ignorance mixed with greed often stand in the way of life safety...
LCN Automatic Operators (video)
Even though automatic operators have been available from LCN for longer than I can remember, I still get questions about which one to use where, why to choose one over the other, and pneumatic vs. electric operation...
Intro to Three Project Delivery Processes for Non-Residential Buildings (video)
These introductory videos are great for people who are new to the industry, so use the share/save icon above to share the link with your colleagues!
Decoded: Accessibility Requirements for Door Openings (video)
Here it is! The next whiteboard animation video we created to introduce (or refresh) the basics of opening accessibility...
Fire Destroys School in Mesquite Texas
Following up on my earlier post about school security and safety, here's a report from Fox 4 News about a school fire that occurred just yesterday...
Violent crimes in public schools: Why parents aren’t being notified
With these conditions in so many schools, I don't understand why any district would take on the potential liability associated with failure to meet their duties of care...
NFPA Video: Barrier Walls and Fire Doors
I will definitely attend at least one of Ron's classes, but if you are unable to be there, you can still get the answers to some of your questions about doors in health care facilities by watching Ron in this video...
Amazing Lock From The 1600s
I'm having a "staycation" this week so I probably won't add any new (old) locks to my collection, but I saw this AMAZING lock...
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...
Do you have a smart home?
It made me wonder...with all of the hardware lovers and tech-savvy people who read iDigHardware, how many of you live in a "smart home"?
Decoded: Egress Requirements for Door Openings (video)
Our next group of whiteboard animation videos is ready!
FF: Wobbly Door (video)
Today's "shoulda" Fixed-it Friday video came from Luis Gabriel Gonzalez, one of Allegion's specwriter apprentice. What happened here???
The Roots of International Women’s Day
It has been quite a few years since I faced discrimination because of my gender - if any of you have a problem with learning about codes from a woman, you've kept it quiet (good idea)...
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...
Man-Traps in Schools
This morning I found an article in my news alerts: Roxbury Eyes Spending $580K on "Man Traps" for Schools. My first thought..."Oh. No."
FF: 4 Door Lock Gadgets (video)
One of my fire marshal pals sent me this Fixed-it Friday video. Neither of us recommending the use of these gadgets, but the dogs are super-cute and I always like to see people's lock-related inventions...
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...
Fire Doors in the News
Happy New Year! There was lots of door-related news over the holidays...
DSSF: Opening the Door to School Safety
The Door Security and Safety Foundation has announced a video and public relations campaign which stresses the importance of securing classroom doors without compromising life safety...
School-Related Performance Crime
Last night, my friend posted on Facebook that her daughter, a freshman in college, had received a text warning from the school that there was a creepy clown nearby...
Intro to Keying Terms (video)
Last night, my oldest daughter told me that her science assignment was to explain how inclined planes are used in keys. She had researched it, and described how the pins go into the cuts on the key...
Intro to Continuous Hinges (video)
Here's another of our latest set of whiteboard animation videos - taking it back to basics and discussing continuous hinges. If you know someone who is learning about hardware and could benefit from these "intro" videos, please share a link with them!
Intro to Electromechanical Locking Hardware (video)
Here's another of our latest group of whiteboard animation videos; this one covers electromechanical locking hardware like electric strikes, electric latch retraction panic hardware, electrified locksets, and electrified trim for panic hardware...
Controlled Egress vs. Delayed Egress (video)
For health care facilities, controlled egress can provide a greater level of safety for patients who require containment because of their clinical needs. This video explains the requirements for controlled egress and delayed egress...
Fail Secure vs. Fail Safe (video)
When working with electrified hardware it's very important to understand the difference between fail secure and fail safe products. I hope this video helps!
Stairwell Reentry (video)
I've received a lot of questions about stairwell reentry lately, so I think it's time for me to address that topic in another article for Doors & Hardware. In the meantime, here's a new whiteboard animation video about stairwell reentry!
Fire Door Win!
Kudos to the fire department, but the fire doors got some recognition too! From KCRA News...
Decoded 4 – Codes for Electrified Hardware
I am SO EXCITED that the last class in the Decoded series is finally available on-demand, so you can take all 4 classes any time - for free!
FF: Expensive (and Painful) Ride
Thank you to Estefano Pilonieta of M&D Door & Hardware, who found this on Imgur and knew it would make my day. :D
Paris Doors to Other Cities (video)
Several people have sent this video to me lately, so in case you're not one of the 10+ million people who have viewed it on Facebook, check it out! It's pretty cool.
Banned: Classroom Barricade Locks
In this age of classroom shootings, many are looking for barricade locks - a cheap and easy stopgap to bolster door security...