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Take a close look around the next time you’re in a school building. Notice the fire alarms, extinguishers, rescue windows and frequent drills? They can all be traced back to that fateful day, experts say. “All of that put together has made our school buildings so safe when it comes to fires,” said David G. Hess, Cleveland Hill’s director of facilities. “That fire has really made a difference.”
Paul Timm: "...The riskiest options employed today rely on relatively inexpensive aftermarket products that cover strike plates, prop open locked doors, or prevent ingress from the hallway..."
In the almost-5,000 schools that experience structure fires each year, what percentage of the buildings are equipped with sprinkler systems?
Since it's Wordless Wednesday, here is a photo that Jim Phillips of SBS Associates sent me from a school walk-through. Luckily the school's security precautions kept these intruders out.
If you specify or provide door hardware, work for a school district, or advise school administrators on their safety and security methods, the article in today's post is a valuable tool for understanding the various considerations and options.
In the wake of any tragedy, society struggles collectively to process the loss. For some it is the loss of friends and loved ones, but for most it is our feelings of safety and trust in the overall goodness of our fellow man that are diminished or seemingly lost entirely. In their place, we are filled with an overwhelming desire to do something...
The graphic that will appear with this article in Doors & Hardware illustrates a potential application for existing classroom doors if the 2-operation language is approved...
The Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS) has released the fourth edition of its Safety and Security Guidelines for K-12 Schools - visit PASSK12.org to download the guidelines!
Yesterday was the 98th anniversary of a tragic school fire that took the lives of 22 children between the ages of 7 and 17, who were burned or crushed to death while trying to escape. The 3-story brick and wood building was engulfed within 5 minutes, and it's miraculous that more of the almost 700 children and staff in the building were not killed. The fire began in the basement, and traveled through the building as the basement doors were left open. The oil finish used on the wood floors contributed to the toxicity of the smoke. The stairs were not enclosed, and did not discharge to the exterior. Almost all of the victims were found just inside the main entrance. As a result of this fire, Peabody became the first city to pass a law which required egress doors in public buildings and schools to swing in the direction of egress.
Last week, the family of Colleen Ritzer filed a lawsuit against the town of Danvers, the school department, the architectural firm that designed the new wing of the school where the teacher was killed, and the cleaning company...
As another school shooting occurs, I struggle with what to write. Today is Wednesday, the day that I typically post a photo that leaves me wordless...
One of the security challenges that schools are currently facing involves false reports made to emergency services. In the fourth episode of Paul Timm's podcast - The Changing Face of School Security, he talks with Jin Kim about this topic.
Tysen Gannon and Devin Bowman, of AD Systems and TGP, teamed up to address how multiple layers of security in a school create safer learning spaces for students and staff.
In case you haven't been following the classroom barricade device issue closely, here's an update. Within the last few years, products have begun to appear on the market which were advertised as a secure way to lock a classroom door...
Some thoughts about the newly-released federal report, and some of the documents that are referenced in the report...have you read it yet?
After Tuesday's school shooting in Oregon, there were several news reports about a school security product developed by a group of teachers. It's called "The Sleeve," a steel sleeve that fits over the door closer arm to prevent an intruder from opening the classroom door from the corridor...
Guy Grace is the Director of Security & Emergency Planning for Littleton, Colorado - the school district where Columbine High School is located. Here is his stance on classroom barricade devices.
The Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS) has released a white paper detailing their position on classroom barricade devices. This position statement provides valuable information for any jurisdiction or school district considering the use of these devices to secure classroom doors...
Saturday, December 1st, 2018 was the 60th anniversary of the fire at Our Lady of the Angels School in Chicago, where 92 students and 3 nuns were killed.
Whether you live and work in Utah or not, a bill that is progressing through the Utah State Legislature could help to set a precedent that may eventually affect your jurisdiction (so please listen up).
There has been a lot of discussion about whether classroom barricade devices are "legal," whether they are a violation of the ADA, and whether their use increases liability for schools that use them.
The May issue of Door Security + Safety Magazine is available for members and non-members to read online! Will you become a Lock Don't Block Ambassador?
A documentary has just been released on PBS as part of the Independent Lens series. It is a detailed and often disturbing look at the measures schools are taking to ensure that students and staff feel safe. "The wolf is in the henhouse." #wordless
As I wrote in yesterday’s post, this week I will be sharing some resources on layered security, to help decision makers learn about the physical security of door openings in schools and in other buildings. Today's focus is on exterior doors.
If a school decides to buy all new doorknobs for their school, and only buy a lever handle for the one classroom with a teacher who has a disability, in my opinion that would not meet the intent of the ADA. What makes it ok to do the same thing with classroom barricade devices?
Requiring each school district to employ a certified school safety specialist seems like a great way to ensure that the right information gets to each community. Does your state have such a program?
As a follow-up to yesterday's post, I want to share a new resource that we can use to help educate school administrators, parents, students, and others about school safety and security. It is a collaboration between PASS and Safe and Sound Schools:
In the seventh episode of Paul Timm's podcast - The Changing Face of School Security, he talks with James Marcella of Axis Communications about technology for school safety and security, and the value of K-12 advocacy in industry organizations.
What do you think? Did the school overreact, considering that the parent was known to staff? Or should adherence to security plans be a zero-tolerance policy?...
Some new resources on school safety and security are available, including documents from BHMA and NASFM, a story from NPR, and two federal websites.
