On International Women's Day 2023, I am so honored and grateful to be included in an article published in International Fire and Safety Journal (IFSJ), highlighting seven women working in the fire sciences and fire safety engineering fields.
I saw today's Wordless Wednesday photos posted on the Locksmith Nation Facebook page, and Merlin Bechtel of Merlin Lock & Safe gave me permission to share them here. I'm still amazed at the condition of so many retail exits.
In Monday's post I mentioned a Havana nightclub's egress situation, and promised to share a few Wordless Wednesday photos. As you can see from today's post, the code requirements for egress are a bit different from what we are used to.
I love receiving photos from AHJs...today's Wordless Wednesday photos were sent by Dave Cox, a fire marshal in Minnesota. Of course the mural, signage, and deadbolt caught my eye, but I also wonder what's going on with that light switch. Theories?
I received today's Wordless Wednesday photo from Christin Kinman of Allegion...it's a door serving a youth program space in a church basement. After growing up with me as their mom, I wonder if my kids would bring this door up with the group leader.
These restaurant exits left me Wordless - especially considering that some of the foliage is planted in the ground - not even in pots! When you go for dinner, don't forget to bring your machete in case you need to evacuate!
Although the number of violations found in the host stadium for Super Bowl LVII is a bit disconcerting, it's reassuring to know that code compliance is being taken seriously in order to help ensure life safety for occupants of the facility.
Many of you know that my oldest daughter attends the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, but you may find it hard to believe that she's a SENIOR - I can hardly believe it myself! She sent me these WW photos from her study abroad trip to Ireland...
I've said it before and I'll say it again...antique stores and thrift stores tend to be some of the worst when it comes to code-compliant door openings. This photo from Lisa Wright of Allegion is a great illustration - what purpose do these fire doors serve?
I received today's Wordless Wednesday photos from Paul Goldense of Goldense Building Products, and I really have no words. But if I know Paul, this door's problems will be resolved immediately, if not sooner.
Have dragons been protecting the Old Stock Exchange from fire for the last 400 years? Or maybe the building's original position with canals on three sides and foundations on wood piles extending into the water below could have been a factor?
I saw the door in today's Wordless Wednesday photos when I went to a salsa lesson at a dance studio in Copenhagen last week. When the studio is open for business, the door is propped open with a rock. Clearly, propped-open fire doors are a global problem.
Although I have seen some modifications to make the very old buildings in Copenhagen more accessible, the restroom entrance shown in today's Wordless Wednesday photos was an extreme example of a lack of access.
Today's Wordless Wednesday photos were taken by Chris Arnold of Melbourne Locksmith in Australia, who was called in to fix a screen door lock. These screen doors are blocking egress in a public building, where apparently the insects are a nuisance.
Tim Weller of Allegion sent me today's Wordless Wednesday photo...if I had a nickel for every time I saw an egress door changed to "not an exit" by someone whose authority was based on their access to a printer or a Sharpie, I'd be rich! :-|
Austin Bammann of CIH sent me today's Wordless Wednesday photos and I have no words left. How do we reach retailers to educate them about their door openings??
Colin Watson of Allegion sent me today's Wordless Wednesday photos, and if you look closely, I think you'll be Wordless too. What is it with these restaurants and their exits??
I've received questions before about how to secure certain areas of a stadium or sports arena, and in many cases there is not a code-compliant way to do so without negatively affecting egress. Today's Wordless Wednesday photos give me chills.
I have heard people excuse non-code-compliant egress because a room is "just a storeroom" or "just a bathroom", but the model codes do not exempt these spaces from the requirements for egress.
Today's Wordless Wednesday photos were sent by John DeHaan, a self employed door repairman in Utah. Yet another restaurant's secondary means of egress secured with non-code-compliant hardware. :(
I can hear some of you saying, "But there's no exit sign above this door!" While that appears to be true, it doesn't mean the door can have non-code-compliant hardware.
This Wordless Wednesday photo was taken in a school - the good news is that this hardware is in the process of being replaced. Hopefully the current focus on school security will mean increased attention to life safety as well.
A retired AHJ sent today's Wordless Wednesday photos of a secondary means of egress in a small hamburger restaurant. Technically, the second exit may not be required, but if the door is provided for egress purposes, it must be code-compliant.
The fact that this stairwell fire door is now cracked in half helps to explain why drilling wire raceways in existing doors is typically treated as a field modification that must be approved in advance by the listing lab. I'm Wordless!
Remember last month when I mentioned that I might question the condition of a restaurant's kitchen based on their doors and hardware? Well, the same goes for hotels, and these Wordless Wednesday photos of my hotel's fire doors from last week's trip are a compelling example.
What can I say about today's Wordless Wednesday photos from Kevin Doerr, other than a) this is Falcon panic hardware, b) the break-in attempt was unsuccessful, and c) the panic still operated correctly for egress.
Last week I spent a couple of days in Minnesota with our new specwriter apprentices and members of our sales development program. I LOVE working with this group as they begin learning about doors and hardware.
Anthony Gugliotta of Allegion sent me today's Wordless Wednesday photos of some egress doors he saw at a science center during a recent vacation. What do you say?? OK? Or NO WAY?
I LOVE to receive Wordless Wednesday photos from readers' travels. This one is from Bill Dorner of Allegion, and was taken in a pub in Kinsale, Ireland. The problem of blocked exits is clearly a global issue.
Thomas Reinhardt sent me today's Wordless Wednesday photo of a door with an egress problem. I can appreciate that someone manufactured a rolling rack for the AC unit and it can be moved out of the way if the exit is needed, but...no.
Jeff Weller of Southwest Entrances sent me this Wordless Wednesday photo from a trip to Quebec City. I have to say...this was definitely a first for me. This "exit" leads to an exterior fire escape.
When I was a specwriter, I dreaded having to tell an architect that their idea wasn't code-compliant, was not durable enough to hold up over time, or would not function in a way that would work well for the end user...
After writing countless times about fire doors needing to close and latch, and hearing about the impact of open fire doors during a Bronx apartment fire earlier this year, seeing a stairwell fire door permanently prevented from closing is just too much.
This deadbolt modification was found on an apartment entry door - the surface bolt prevents the deadbolt from being unlocked from the outside with a key. Pretty creative, but I hope no one ever has to enter to help during an emergency.
As we continue to celebrate the 3,000-post milestone, I don't know what to say about today's Wordless Wednesday photo sent by Bruce Gill of North Central Supply. SMH
When a lost key may have fallen into the wrong hands, and the maintenance staff needed to secure the door until the locksmith arrived, this was their solution. Photo submitted by Paul Linder of Hills Brothers Lock and Safe.
Sent in by Pak Keung Yip, this photo was taken on the back porch of a residential home, where the contractor provided a knife to cut out a screen that might block the exit. I love the creativity and thought that went into this solution, but I'm a little wordless.
I didn't have to look far during my road trip to find an egress problem. The coffee was GREAT, but the rear exit would be confusing during an emergency. Maybe next time I will work up the nerve to pull back the curtain.
iDigHardware will reach a new milestone very soon, and you can help me celebrate! Submit your photos by Friday, June 17th, for a chance to win something from the iDigHardware Prize Vault!
Today I am wordless for the 19 students and 2 teachers killed in the latest senseless act of school violence at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
Today's Wordless Wednesday photo came from Grant DeLay of Allegion (and he gets all the credit for the product name), but it looks like the photo originated with Brian Ingham of Integrated Design Solutions. It's a classic!
Today's Wordless Wednesday photo came from one of my retired fire marshal pals, which reminds me how much I love the fact that people who have retired are still engaged with iDigHardware.
Today's Wordless Wednesday photos are from the Facebook page of the Edmond, Oklahoma Fire Department, demonstrating the impact of a closed door during a fire. Close Before You Doze!
David Johnson of Cook & Boardman sent me today's Wordless Wednesday photo of a restaurant's rear exit. I absolutely love that people see doors that are a hot mess and think of me! :)
I just received this Wordless Wednesday photo from Allison Berejka of Allegion, and I'm beyond wordless. This is a stairwell fire door in a New York City apartment building, and it will serve no purpose if a fire occurs.
One of my retired fire marshal friends sent me today's Wordless Wednesday photos...neither life safety nor security is winning here. Don't forget to send me your Wordless Wednesday and Fixed-it Friday photos!
Andy Lindenberg of Allegion sent me today's Wordless Wednesday photos, taken in a school. After an entire swim season with no one reporting the issue, a janitor noticed the problem. #wordless!
There are millions - yes, MILLIONS - of existing fire door assemblies that have been modified or damaged, or that have not been maintained properly. The only way to find them and fix them is to enforce the code requirements for fire door inspections. What's the hold up?
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?
Marc Zolner of Allegion sent me today's Wordless Wednesday photo, taken in a sports facility. For whatever reason, this type of building is a common location for non-code-compliant exits. How many problems do you see?
