This press release is from UK-based BWF Certifire, but the US faces the same fire door problems that are endangering building occupants every day. Kudos to BWF Certifire for raising awareness of the value of fire doors...we NEED a similar program in the US, but who is willing to take it on? Scroll down for an informative video produced by the British Woodworking Foundation...
I know...lots of videos this week. It's just a coincidence - not a new trend. I'll just leave this right here...
On Tuesday I posted some news reports about the effects of a closed door during a fire. NBC-5 has released a follow-up story on the fact that national fire safety organizations have not been including the message to sleep with your bedroom door closed in their educational materials...
I've been talking about this for years with regard to fire doors as well as doors in a home, but it's nice to have someone from UL back me up...
Whether panic hardware is required by code or specified for increased security and ease of use, there are three basic styles and four types that are commonly used...
Whether we’re specifying, supplying, installing, or inspecting doors and hardware, it’s our responsibility to speak up if we see situations that we know are not code-compliant and do our best to rectify them...
One more whiteboard animation in the latest series...this time on hinges!
One of my original goals when I started this blog in 2009, was to make learning about codes less painful. I think these whiteboard animation videos do just that! Here's the latest...all about fire door assemblies!
People ask me all the time..."What's a 'CUSH' closer?" The answer is in our latest whiteboard animation video!
This is one of the most common questions I receive...do you know when and where panic hardware is required?
I hope this whiteboard animation video helps to explain one of hardware's most confusing topics - flush bolts and coordinators!
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!
How do we help to ensure that these creative problem-solvers have the necessary information when considering a do-it-yourself approach?
A malfunctioning power strip is getting most of the media attention for causing this fire, but Fox 13 reported that "a closed door kept the fire from spreading beyond the guidance counselors' offices, and therefore it did not reach any classrooms."
A fire door is being credited with keeping flames contained at a Sturgis manufacturing building...Three people were found unconscious in a stairwell filled with smoke...As Fire Chief Drake put it, the simple act of closing the door can save the lives and contents behind it...
Here is one more whiteboard animation (for now)...this one explains some of the basic operations of a door closer. All of these videos, including the ones I previously posted on panic hardware, lock functions, and door handing, can be found on the Allegion Training videos page...
This news report is a great Fixed-it Friday example of how the city of Barrie, Ontario is going to fix their fire code violations - by giving fire inspectors the ability to hand out tickets for violations on the spot. The fine for propping open fire doors? $350 each!
To all of my gal-pals who read iDigHardware, I hope you choose the beautiful door. :)
I have explained door handing hundreds of times during my career. I know some people still use the "butt-to-the-butts" method, but that doesn't work for all door openings because it doesn't take into account whether the door is inswinging or outswinging. I explained handing on this site a while back, but just to make it more fun...
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.
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."
There was an important change to the 2015 International Building Code (IBC) that could help to reduce the occurrence of child abduction from hospitals. Many maternity wards have infant abduction systems that use a sensor to activate a delayed egress lock when a baby is taken near the exit. But for some facilities, delayed egress locks may not be enough...
Last week I posted a couple of videos explaining some basic code requirements and terminology for panic hardware. The next videos in the series address a topic that I KNOW many architects and others struggle with (because I've personally explained it at least a thousand times) - lock functions...
Allegion has created several videos using the videoscribe format, including these two about panic hardware. Some of the code information in the "101" video is a bit general and I will eventually make a more in-depth video on this topic (I didn't create the videos below), but what do you think of the format?
This PSA was recently released by the LA County Sheriff's Department. It is a very graphic representation of how to survive an active shooter situation. It is obviously not acceptable for use with kids, but it does show a classroom security lock used by a teacher, as well as a locked exit blocking the escape of a victim...
A report recently released by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) examines the fire dynamics of a house fire in Chicago, where failure of a door released hot gases and resulted in the death of a firefighter.
Most of you know how important a door can be in preventing the spread of fire, but recent efforts are helping the general public understand the value of their doors and how to use them as a tool to save lives...
As most of you know, I love to see creativity and innovation within the door and hardware industry, especially if it helps to increase fire prevention and life safety. I received a video this morning, introducing a product that has been developed by two retired FDNY firefighters. It is a spring hinge with a fusible link, so in normal operation it acts as a typical hinge but when exposed to heat it closes the door...
This cylinder is really cool...a curved keyway and a flexible key. I didn't say it was practical. If you're curious about how it works, you can check out the patent here...
This video is pretty amazing. Swallows nesting in a university parking garage could have been locked in when doors were added to convert the garage to the campus bike center. Is this an example of the swallows' intelligence, or dumb luck?...
It appears this massive mishap could have been a lot worse than it turned out to be, but it is nevertheless a scary incident that left many people hurt and hundreds in harm's way. That may prompt the MGM Grand to reevaluate its current design and make some tweaks to avoid similar incidents in the future...
To celebrate 5 years of iDigHardware, don't forget to send me some photos in exchange for a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card!
This is not door-related, but consider it a public service announcement that shows how much I care about you. I don't know how common this is, but I did confirm that a 9-volt battery can be used to start a fire and improper storage has led to several residential fires. If we proactively replace our smoke detector batteries and store the partially-used batteries until they are recycled, we need to take precautions to avoid the situation in the video below.
Almost exactly 7 years ago I began working on one of my most beautiful and challenging projects - the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. I remember the start date because I had just returned from leave after having my youngest daughter. The architect contacted me many months prior and asked me to act as the hardware consultant on the project, and to be honest, I didn't want to do it. I already had several "high-maintenance" projects on my desk, and with most of those fancy, prestigious projects, you also get frustrations and headaches. You get architects with door-related ideas that have never been attempted...gigantic doors, openings that are invisible (codes be damned), doors made out of unusual materials, sliders that slide with the touch of a finger and no sound, and security applications that require variances from the local AHJ. It was during one of those projects that I first stated, "Sorry, I left my magic wand in the car." On another I earned the nickname "the anti-fairy godmother" because I told an architect that the doors in his interior elevation would not look the way he had drawn them because of code-drive hardware requirements.
The fact that this door swings in instead of out seems to confuse the burglar enough that he can't figure out how to get in. However, I would NOT recommend inswinging doors as a security measure! Considering that people generally try to exit the way they came in, I think this opening could be an egress problem unless it is serving a very small bar. What do you think?
While this test report was not heavy on door-related data, I thought some of you would enjoy reading about this groundbreaking study which looked at how a test building was affected by several simulated earthquakes, and then how the damaged building's fire safety systems performed in a series of fire tests. I found the video below fascinating:
Paul Timm, from the independent school security consulting firm, Reta Security, appears on the PBS special The Path to Violence, which premiers tomorrow night (Wednesday, February 20th). Check your local listings to find out when to watch.
For the last 8 years, I have coordinated a holiday gift drive along with my coworkers, family, and friends for the residents of our local family shelter and other families in need. This year we provided gifts for 75 kids and parents! When I went to the shelter with a load to drop off, I saw the sign below. I asked the director if they had a close call and she said, with a very grave look in her eyes, "more than one."
Although the schools in Providence, Rhode Island, are supposed to be inspected by code officials annually, some had not been inspected for 10 YEARS. I wonder how many public schools are in the same boat?
I love this video. And if you were getting ready to say it's "off topic," the first word in the first frame is Security, and I saw several doors while watching it. :D AND...I'm pretty sure I spotted some footage from Morocco, which coincidentally is where I'm headed on this year's summer road trip with my family. Yes, Morocco, and no, I haven't finally lost the rest of my mind. I've mentioned before that my husband is originally from Morocco, and that my mother-in-law passed away last year. We'll be spending some time there this summer to get her estate squared away, and of course, look for some interesting doors. Maybe I'll even see if I can hunt down a Moroccan locksmith or hardware supplier. That would be pretty cool, right?
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.
December 8th, 2011, was the 50-year anniversary of a fire at Hartford Hospital which caused the death of 16 patients, staff, and visitors, and resulted in many important changes to code requirements for hospital construction. Connecticut Public Television has just released a video about the tragedy and the resulting code changes. Other than the statement "all patient room doors must have positively latching hinges," it's a great piece.
A couple of weeks ago I told you about the significance of August 1st - it's my birthday (big deal), and also the day that the features of the LCN 4040XP are incorporated into the standard 4040 closer (BIG DEAL!). Every 4040 closer ordered from today forward will be shipped as a 4040XP - with the larger and stronger pinion, bigger bearings, and stronger teeth geometry. If you have questions about the changes, check out this FAQ document.
I've obviously been slacking because this video was posted a month ago. It's a follow-up to a report about the flawed fire safety system at the Staples Center, including problems with their fire doors. Here's a link, in case you missed it too.
I swear, I didn't send him the camo underwear. :-)
I got a Tweet today from @GinnyPowell, who was attending a Von Duprin training. She was surprised that the fire truck video is still around, and once she mentioned it I just had to go back and watch it again. It's a classic! I love the fire test engineer..."I am now checking the device..." I wonder who came up with this idea.
It's not often you find the variety of egress-related news stories that I've seen lately, so I compiled a few here for your reading pleasure. Enjoy!
Today I had the pleasure of visiting the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. My trusty guide for the tour was Rachel Smith of Karpen Steel, who suggested the Biltmore as a stop on my road trip and then arranged for the visit to the estate.
Today is the 39th anniversary of the fire at the Hotel Vendome, in which 9 firefighters lost their lives when the building unexpectedly collapsed during mop-up operations. Stephanie Schorow, author of 4 books about Boston, spoke about the Hotel Vendome fire, the Cocoanut Grove fire, and the Great Boston Fire of 1872 in this video made in conjunction with the NFPA. There was also an article in the May/June 2011 issue of the NFPA Journal - "The Boston Fire Trail - A walkable guide to the city's fire and disaster history."
