Do you have questions about bullet-resistant glass? A recent article by David Vermeulen, North America Sales Director, TGP addresses some of the considerations for these applications.
Marc Zolner of Allegion sent me today's Fixed-it Friday photo, and he asked what the codes say about having one pair locked with a cable, with four other pairs available for egress.
This month’s Decoded question is related to a clarification made in the 2024 IBC, which applies to the requirements for automatic operators on accessible public entrances.
Eyal Bedrik of Entry Systems Ltd. sent me today's Wordless Wednesday photo, of a standpipe cabinet that will need to be accessed quickly during a fire ("Now where did I put those keys???").
Last week I asked for ideas about what could have been done differently with the hardware on a stage door. Today's post is a follow-up with the solution that I would specify.
An interesting Quick Question showed up last week: Do the accessibility standards mandate an extended amount of unlock time for electronic locks, to accommodate people with disabilities?
Every time I go backstage in a school auditorium, I see issues with the egress doors. Any ideas about what could have been done differently with this door?
I've seen this application hundreds of times, gymnasium fire doors with applied padding. But is applied padding allowed when the doors are fire rated? WWYD?
Hal Kelton of DOORDATA Solutions sent me today's Wordless Wednesday photo of an "emergency door", and well... I'm wordless!
In the next episode of Paul Timm's podcast, he talks with Don Hough, Dept. Assoc. Director for the School Safety Task Force at the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security - CISA.
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.
I love how one of the doors in today's post was designed as a stylized version of something that is very common here - old doors that have been repaired numerous times over the decades.
We are thrilled to announce that Allegion is now a Mission Partner of The "I Love U Guys" Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to school safety and crisis response.
Cesar Montalvo of Wesco sent me today's Wordless Wednesday photo, taken in the heavy equipment bay of a military facility. These doors are 18 feet tall!
When I went to the 2024 IBC to look for the section that requires egress doors to be readily distinguishable, I noticed something new...check it out in today's post!
Today's Quick Question: Do the model codes require a certain amount of contrast between the releasing hardware and the door, so the hardware is distinguishable for egress purposes?
Kevin Taylor of Allegion sent me today's Fixed-it Friday photo of an installation problem that has been "fixed" with instructional signage.
I'm sorting through some boxes of old papers and I found this ad from Architectural Record, dated May 1967! No, I was not collecting hardware memorabilia back then - I wasn't even born yet!
While this may seem like "just another chained exit" (boooring...), I am reminded of the MANY times that locked or blocked exits have resulted in fatalities during an emergency.
This Quick Question hit my inbox last week, regarding the matte black finish: Do the accessibility standards include requirements related to the finish (color) of door hardware?
I can hardly believe that my "4th baby" - iDigHardware - is 15 years old. During this milestone year, we will be making some changes to iDigHardware, and I need your help!
I saw this interesting Fixed-it Friday transom bar application posted by Jeremy Guthrie of Omega Door & Hardware...what do you think?
Are you familiar with the annual inspection criteria for fire door assemblies? Join us on Thursday, March 14th, for an AIA-approved webinar presented by Jeff Batick of Allegion.
I just love when I receive a photo that gives me the opportunity to explain something from a different angle, and today's WW photo from Marc Zolner of Allegion is a great example.
This month’s Decoded question is a common one related to classroom doors in educational facilities: Are classroom barricade devices allowed by the model codes and accessibility standards?
Questions continue to arise regarding fire-rated glass and framing, and TGP has recently updated a page on their site that answers a couple dozen of the FAQs.
Paul Timm of Allegion sent me this photo, and it illustrates a really great question about doors in a means of egress. Is there something specific in the codes that would prevent this?
What can I say about today's Wordless Wednesday photo, taken by an AHJ? I'm sure it's the result of a renovation, but I wonder how long it will stay this way.
Some states and local jurisdictions have already adopted requirements for classroom doors to be lockable. Should the model codes require locks on classroom doors? WWYD?
In the tenth episode of Paul Timm's podcast, he talks with John-Michael Keyes of I Love U Guys, a foundation dedicated to school safety, preparedness, reunification, and the joy of youth.
Today's Fixed-it Friday photos came from a retired AHJ...continuous hinge retrofits can be a great way to address field problems, but this one needed to go (at least) one step further.
Today's Quick Question was prompted by a recent post about a continuous hinge retrofit on a fire door: If a UL Listed product is modified in the field, does this void the listing?
I recently received a link from a New York City architect and public transportation commuter to a news article about a plan to use delayed egress locks on subway gates. Thoughts?
Today I have a follow-up question to yesterday's post about stairwell reentry. Neither of these questions is addressed in the codes, so I am looking for any insight from the field.
In some buildings, a stairwell may have more than one door serving a floor. In that case, are all of the doors required to allow reentry, or could one door be designated for this purpose?
Today's Fixed-it Friday photos are a great "before and after" example from a high school gymnasium. If you have photos you'd like to share, there's an upload link in today's post.
A recent article from David Vermeulen, North America Sales Director for Technical Glass Products (TGP) does some myth busting about fire-rated glass...check it out in today's post!
Last weekend I took my daughters and their friends to the movies, and that's where I saw today's Wordless Wednesday application on the theater exit.
When a stairwell door unlocks (or is always unlocked) to allow building occupants to leave the stairwell if it becomes compromised during a fire, what happens next? WWYD?
When a controlled egress lock is installed in a health care unit where patients require containment for their safety or security, which release methods for egress are required by the model codes?
Earlier this week I shared photos from a college visit with my youngest daughter. I also saw this mullion on campus with a key cylinder...is anyone familiar with the purpose of the cylinder?
Today's Quick Question: On a fire door assembly where adhesive smoke gasketing is installed, is it acceptable to have open silencer holes under the gasketing?
Normally I'm extremely focused on door-related problems, but this one left me Wordless because the photo was taken in a fire department training facility.
I found the doors in today's photos on a recent trip to Indianapolis with my youngest daughter. Many of iDigHardware's long-time readers will remember her from the Olden Days.
Today's Quick Question: When a continuous hinge is installed on an existing fire door assembly, the labels on the fire door and frame are often covered by the hinge. How should this be handled?
I received today's Fixed-it Friday photo from Jim Elder of Secured Design, LLC - it was taken in an elementary/middle school. While this seems like a simple and common fix, it can severely impact security.
Today's Wordless Wednesday photos were taken in a packed high school gym during a competition. The non-code-compliant security devices that were in place at the time illustrate one of the reasons why egress doors should comply with the codes at all times.
As I mentioned a while back, Mark Kuhn of Allegion will be helping me out with some code development work and other duties, including an occasional blog post. In today's post, Mark shares some thoughts on a term found in the model codes.
This month’s question is a common one related to egress doors in memory care units. If you have a code question you’d like to see answered in my column, you can submit it by clicking the link in today's post.
Michael Conn of Allegion sent me today's thought-provoking Fixed-it Friday photo, of a restaurant's main entrance door that has been equipped with a key-operated lock (double cylinder deadbolt). "Thought-provoking?" Read on...
