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?
Today's Quick Question: Can a low energy automatic operator that is certified to BHMA A156.19 be installed on a door that is required to comply with BHMA A156.10? What do you think?
In case you missed this webinar from the U.S. Access Board, the recording and handouts have recently been made available on the Accessibility Online website. The webinar description and link are in today's post.
I saw the door in today's Fixed-it Friday photos at Kronborg Castle, which was the setting for Shakespeare's play, Hamlet. Today it is known by many as Hamlet's Castle. Of course I can't resist sharing some other photos from the castle as well...
When I posted my updated Decoded article about communicating doors earlier this week, I remembered these photos. I think that looking at an issue in different ways can really help to get the point across, so here goes...
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.
The code requirements for communicating doors between hotel rooms have not changed, but a new question has come up...have you ever seen these requirements applied to shared bathrooms between dorm rooms? WWYD?
Have you seen the new LCN 6400 COMPACT automatic operator? A recent Locksmith Ledger article details the installation of this product, which won the 2022 Best New Product Award from the Security Industry Association.
I spotted the huge "doors" in today's Fixed-it Friday photos on the front of a library, and of course I had to go check them out. The wood panels give the impression of books, and I figured that the doors would be closed at night for security...
I will have to get back to reality soon, but for a little while longer I'll be spending my mornings wandering and my afternoons and evenings working. A few days ago my morning jog took me to an area called Christiania, where I found lots of interesting doors.
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.
As 2022 winds down (that was fast!), we have one more Webinar Wednesday with sessions on stairwell reentry and delayed egress requirements, along with a recently recorded Security in 30 presentation. Happy December!
Depending on the desired look, either aged bronze or oil-rubbed bronze may be the right hardware finish for a particular project, but it's important to know what to expect. I'm seeing lots of great examples as I walk the streets of Copenhagen.
Although I won't be cooking the traditional turkey and stuffing this year, I am wishing a Happy Thanksgiving to any of you who will be celebrating! Today's post includes some more photos from my travels over the last week.
It's hard to miss this preschool in my neighborhood (I'm temporarily working from Christianshavn, Copenhagen), but I'm guessing most people don't notice that this preschool has the same problem with elopement that is common in the U.S.
Remember when I used to take the kids on family road trips or international voyages, and I would post about the interesting doors I saw in our travels? Well, this is one of my favorite weeks of the year, and I'm in Copenhagen!
Scott Tobias of arkaSpecs sent me today's Fixed-it Friday photo taken in a school library. This door leads to a closet, but what if this was the egress side of the door? Do you think the paint job would be code-compliant?
It is not uncommon for a building to have a means of egress that passes through a swimming pool enclosure. I have run into this several times before and I'm wondering how you are seeing it addressed in the field. WWYD?
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.
With all of the recent attention on fire door assemblies in residential occupancies, today's Quick Question has come up several times: How is the required fire rating for apartment entry doors determined?
LEED, the Living Building Challenge, Declare Labels, the 2030 Challenge, Health and Happiness and Beauty Petals...this article on sustainability - written by Tim Weller of Allegion, explains sustainability design and how it applies to our industry.
One of my favorite retired fire marshals sent me today's Fixed-it Friday photos, which illustrate one of his pet peeves. Could signs like this delay or deter egress during an emergency? What do you think?
To help educate and inform stakeholders about changes related to doors and hardware, BHMA has developed a new resource called Codes in Context. I filmed a short video for BHMA's Spotlight Series, highlighting this project.
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! :-|
There is a change coming in the 2024 IBC related to doors that are required to have panic hardware and are also equipped with electromagnetic locks. I have updated the past post on this topic to include the change.
When evaluating security, it's important to remember that there are adopted codes and standards that must be followed. With proper planning, doors can meet the requirements for accessibility, egress, fire protection - AND security (convenience too!).
I saw this "fix" during my travels in Indiana and Pennsylvania over the last couple of weeks. Any theories about the reasoning behind the pulls shown in these Fixed-it Friday photos? I have no ideas.
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??
I'm on my way to Pittsburgh, and I hope to see some of you at the DHI conNextions conference! PLEASE come to one (or both!) of my sessions on Wednesday, or stop by the Allegion booth during exhibit hall hours!
Over the weekend, a tragic crowd crush occurred at a Halloween event in Seoul, South Korea. Although this incident occurred on a narrow street, a crowd crush can also happen inside of a building. As with all life safety issues, we must continue to be vigilant.
You may have to look closely at this Fixed-it Friday photo from Brian Lavallee of Doors by LAVA Inc. Have you ever seen this "creative" application in use?
UPDATE: I just saw a great example of a door opening that was a "fire exit," incorrectly marked as a "fire door," so I have updated this post to include new photos. Is a fire exit the same as a fire door? Are the code requirements for each of these openings the same?
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??
If you are involved in conducting fire door inspections or educating people about fire doors, I have updated our laminated fire door inspection card and it's now available!
Don't worry...it's not actually November yet! But there's some training coming up next week that I don't want you to miss - including a couple of sessions that I'm presenting. I hope to see some of you there!
People always send me photos with a note saying, "I saw this door and thought of you..." I LOVE getting those messages (who wouldn't?)! And last week when I was flying home from the BHMA meetings, I saw these doors and thought of YOU! :D
The accessibility standards mandate a flush, smooth surface at the bottom of a door to avoid catching a wheelchair footpad, crutch, cane, or other mobility aid on a protrusion. Some of the most frequently-asked questions on this topic are answered in today's post.
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.
After last week's focus on fire doors for Fire Prevention Week, several people asked about altering fire doors in the field. This recent article that I wrote for Locksmith Ledger covers the requirements and limitations of NFPA 80.
Today begins the annual observance of America's Safe Schools Week, and I recently spent some time with Mark Williams of the Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS), talking about how to safely secure classroom doors. Watch our video in today's post.
Wrapping up Fire Prevention Week is our final category in the hardware set: Protect the Door. Although these are not typically the most complex components of a fire door assembly, proper product selection, installation, and maintenance are crucial.
Earlier this year, a fatal fire in a Bronx apartment building demonstrated the importance of code-compliant fire door assemblies that are closed and latched when a fire occurs. Today's post addresses NFPA 80's three categories of fire door operation.
Because fire door assemblies are such an important part of the passive fire protection system of a building, the model codes and referenced standards require fire doors to be closed and latched during a fire. Learn more in today's post.
For a fire door to close and latch reliably, it's crucial for the door to be hung properly, using architectural hinges, continuous hinges, or pivots that are correctly specified for the door size, weight, and usage.
This week I will be sharing some of the resources available on iDigHardware related to fire door assemblies, to increase awareness of the requirements of the codes and standards that help to ensure fire doors perform as designed and tested.
The wear on this lock gives us some clues that could jeopardize the access control to this space. Assuming the code has four digits, with at least one #3 and at least one #4, and no #1's, #2's, or #5's, how many possible codes would it take to find the right one to open this door?
I originally wrote this article in 2012(!), and when someone asked me a question about this topic yesterday, I noticed that the post needed an update. Current information from the model codes and NFPA 80 is now included.
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.
One of the most fundamental requirements related to access control products can also be one of the most confusing - the functions of fail safe and fail secure electrified hardware. This post answers a few of the frequently asked questions related to this topic.
Where have the months gone?? It's October already! We have two Webinar Wednesdays this month, and the recording of my health care lunch and learn from last week will also be available soon.
