Gary Huizen of Huizen's Locksmith Service posted this Wordless Wednesday photo on the iDigHardware Facebook page...how many times have you arrived on a jobsite to respond to a closing/latching problem and found something like this?
Today's Wordless Wednesday photos came from an anonymous fire inspector pal of mine. This is very common in retail stores - the merchandise displays creep in and encroach upon the egress route, or inhibit the operation of fire doors...
This illustrates why I disagree with "bending the rules" to allow non-code-compliant security devices to be used "after-hours." When the fire marshal agrees to something like this, the compromise would typically come with a qualifier...
When I look at a photo and can't come up with the right thing to say, I know it needs to be posted for Wordless Wednesday...like this one from Kevin Taylor of Allegion...
For the first time ever - 2 Wordless Wednesday posts in one day! This video will definitely leave you wordless...
Something a little different for today's Wordless Wednesday photo - less of a fire door / egress code issue and more of a...fire hazard (and probably an electrical code problem!)?
Will schools be held liable for "allowing" a crime to happen by giving the unauthorized person the ability to lock the door? I'm not a lawyer, but with schools paying settlements for wired glass injuries and being sued for inadequate security, I think it's something to consider...
This mall exit was spotted by William Hoppe of UC Merced, and the photos were sent to me by Chad Jenkins of the National Locksmithing Institute. Unbelievable...
The Wordless Wednesday Winner is Logan Piburn, from Dyron Murphy Architects! Logan sent me LOTS of photos, and explained that these were taken at various rural schools, most built in the early 70's and still in use today. The photos were taken during surveys to identify existing problems and plan renovations.
These photos from Jodie Meyers of Phillips-Langley illustrate exactly what Wordless Wednesday is all about. This fire door leads to a laundry room in the physical education department of a high school. The door has plenty of problems (feel free to list them in the comments)...
Another hotel, another fire door problem. In case you're new to this site...this fire door needs a positive latch, and will not perform as designed and tested to protect the stairwell as a means of egress for the hotel guests if there is a fire. Unacceptable!
"What seems to be the problem? Oh."
In case you have a hard time reading the sign on the LHR leaf, it says "Please do not use these doors. Leave them LOCKED!" :(
These photos leave me Wordless in a different way than the usual WW photos. This is a great illustration of what a code-compliant fire door can do. In the foreground of the top photo...the portion of the senior home in L'Isle Verte that is a total loss, with 32 presumed dead. In the background, the newer portion of the building that suffered little damage and from which the occupants were able to be evacuated. That portion was reportedly equipped with sprinklers, but without the fire wall and closed/latched fire doors visible in the photo, the fire would not have been compartmentalized as it was. We will undoubtedly learn more about the specifics as the investigation continues.
That's the text message I received from Hal Kelton of DOORDATA Solutions, when he sent me this photo. :D
Unrelated to this post...I need a good clear photo of a hospital stop / terminated stop on a hollow metal frame. Can anyone help me out?
Alec Walsh of Allegion sent me these photos a few weeks ago. That door looks like it needs some thermal protection, right?
Happy New Year!!!
Last week on The Building Code Forum, one of the members mentioned that their local police department recommended the installation of overlapping astragals on the exterior pairs at their schools. This left me WORDLESS! It definitely feels like 2 steps forward - 1 step back some days.
This photo, from an ice arena, gives me the chills. Ice rinks are notoriously difficult locations for doors and hardware...lots of abuse, often a high occupant load, humidity and corrosion issues, and other contributing factors. In case you don't see the problem right away, look at the top of the mullion. Angle brackets have been bolted to each door, and there is a pin inserted through one bracket, through the mullion, and through the other bracket. Someone trying to exit through these doors would likely have no idea why they won't open.
This Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for industry colleagues who share their expertise, code officials who try to answer questions even when I'm way down into the nitty gritty, people who read this blog (or at least come to look at the pictures), and for photos like this...
I just had an idea. I'm putting together an online code class for my coworkers, which will be available to others outside of the company next year. The way I like to teach about codes is to explain the intent behind the requirement, show examples, reference the applicable section of the code, and preferably to break up the education into small chunks so it's easier to absorb over time. The way I initially tried to learn was to read the code books and highlight the sections, but it didn't really stick with me. So many people email me to say, "I know the code says something about *this*, but where is it?"...something they have read or heard may have left an impression on them about the requirement, but it didn't settle into their brain for the long haul.
In case you were wondering, this is not an acceptable application for a fire door. And I'm not sure if/how it's working properly, or what's under the big plate.
I find the Department of Motor Vehicles so frustrating that one year I actually cried because after waiting over an hour they said I didn't bring the right utility bill. AND...my car got hit by someone taking his driving test in the parking lot (he failed). It might have all been worthwhile if I could have spotted an exit at the DMV like this one, sent in by Lisa Augerson of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies. According to Lisa, the DMV person said they keep it unlocked during business hours.
Hotels seem to be notorious for fire door issues...here's a perfect example that was found by Chad Jenkins of the National Locksmithing Institute. Chad wrote:
This was found in a school, by A&L Doors & Specialties. I have no words, except "thank you." Maybe some of you have words...if you do, leave a comment.
To all of the architects out there...this is what can happen if you forgo the hardware consultant and let the electrician work out the details on-site. Call us - we can help! ;)
In a brand-spanking-new huge and beautiful convention center, these attracted a lot of attention and MANY people mentioned them to me last week. The panics have hex-key dogging, so I have no idea why they've resorted to wide-scale use of velcro. Speaking of dogging...last night I went to an evening meeting at a school, and the teacher used her key to let us in the main exterior door. Once inside, she turned to face the door opening and said, "Ok - there's a trick...where is it?" Then she spied the small end of an allen wrench sticking out of a hole in the frame about 6 feet up, pulled it out, dogged the panic, and stuck the wrench back in the hole. Very high-tech. The funny thing is...the other leaf of the pair has an electric latch retraction device; all they need is a switch at the door to dog it.
Although this isn't a code violation since the doors are not fire rated, I firmly believe that failing to limit the ability to lock / unlock doors can severely impact security and the safety of building occupants. What say you?
Cory Yamaguchi of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies sent me this photo of an egress door he saw on an outing to the local dairy farm with his family. I'm picturing a farm that hosts lots of visitors, not the type where the cow:human ratio is 100:1. In addition to the creative application of pull handles, there are loops up at the top (one looks like it's missing) if they need a little extra security. If you're just tuning in, this is not code-compliant.
I'm sorry it's been a quiet week on iDigHardware so far, but I'm teaching a class for our amazing specwriter apprentices! We're working on electrified hardware this week, and I'm so impressed with what they've learned so far. I will need your help with something tomorrow, so please check back and cast your vote.
Assuming this is the back door of a restaurant, what's wrong with these pictures sent in by Eric Miles of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies (other than the fact that the door is filthy!)?
When I'm teaching about the code-compliant ways to hold open a fire door, I always say that my preference is to use a wall-mounted magnetic holder because there are no moving parts, and not much can go wrong if it's installed correctly. But if there's no power to the magnetic holder, it won't hold the door open. And if the door won't stay open, someone will always come along with a creative solution.
I received today's photo from Brenda Dove of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies. I wonder if that glass is impact-resistant...
As I mentioned a few days ago, I'm in Mexico taking in all of the lovely doors of San Miguel de Allende. I haven't seen much evidence of building / life safety codes, but we did go to a popular museum in Guanajuato and I saw this exit stair...I guess you could call it a form of delayed egress.
From Vince Black of Black Hawk Doors, a restaurant owner's solution to a closer arm stripped off the shaft, with the arm screw broken off in the closer body:
Tim Kaye of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies sent me this photo of a required egress door in a school, which truly left me wordless. :(
Andy Lindenberg of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies sent me this one. I'm a little confused. Should I use this door in an emergency, or not?
This photo was sent to me by Jeff Tock of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies, who reported that there were numerous fire doors like this in the same hotel. Personally, if I did something and saw VOID, I would probably stop and consider what was causing that to happen.
It's Wednesday, and you know what that means! Another application that leaves me wordless! Jeff Tock of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies sent me these photos of the integral stop on a door closer being used to hold the fire door open. Y'all know that's not ok - right?
I was just looking for a particular discussion on the Building Code Forum, and I ran across this photo which I forgot to post. I was probably saving it for the WW before Thanksgiving. :) The fire inspector had been called back to reinspect this exit, which was missing the panic hardware.
Yes, this is a fire door. Anyone see a problem here?
Last Friday I posted an article about a school district settlement with a student, after a severe injury due to impact with traditional wired glass. The article mentioned that a "15-year-old high school student fell while climbing atop a stack of rolled up wrestling mats." What the article didn't say was that the mats had been rolled up between practices, and the student was helping to set up - the mats were stuck together and he climbed up to help free the mat and slipped, impacting the glass. His injury was horrific, and he's lucky to be alive.
This opening is secured by power bolts, which are released via the wall switch. The panic hardware is just for show...there's no way for the devices to latch without a mullion. :(
This photo is from one of the fine establishments we visited in NYC. You can tell it's *fine* because of the champagne buckets.
This photo of a hospital corridor door was sent by Hyun Myung Kang. I'm pretty sure this installation doesn't comply with NFPA 80.
Yes, I know it's Thursday, but this just arrived in my email box and I have to share.
Any theories about what's happening here? Steve Poe from Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies sent me the photo and we're perplexed.
Vincent Chestnut of Alpha Locksmith spotted this problem on a visit to a local public safety building. Not only does the door require two motions to unlatch, the thumbturn on the combination lock doesn't look like it would be considered accessible.
