Decoded: New Requirements For Pedestrian Automatic Door Operators and Sensors
This article addresses an important change to the BHMA standards for automatic doors operated by a motion sensor or control mat...
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10, 2017
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10, 2017
Close Before You Doze
When Good Morning America starts talking about closing doors, you know this important advice will (finally!) start to reach the masses. Check out this UL test and see the amount of protection provided by the closed doors, and share it with your friends and loved ones using the Share/Save icon above...
20
10, 2017
FF: The New Mag-Locks
I know...these would not be code-compliant on the egress side of a door in the means of egress, but you have to admit they're cool. Thanks to Leo Lebovits of M&D Door & Hardware for sending me the links to these Fixed-it Friday videos!
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10, 2017
Decoded: Alterations to Fire Door Assemblies
You may remember that I'm working on a series of online code classes, which will be available early in 2018. To support those classes, I am updating some of my past Decoded articles to include revisions from new editions of the codes and standards. Here is the latest information regarding alterations of fire door assemblies.
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10, 2017
WW: Warehouse Exit
I really don't know what to say about this Wordless Wednesday photo, which was sent to me by Jim Heberlein of Block Iron & Supply Company. The good news is, the doors and hardware are being replaced!
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10, 2017
WWYD? Recessed Hardware in Fire Barriers
What is required when a recessed piece of hardware is to be installed in a fire barrier?
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10, 2017
Safe Schools
This week is National Safe Schools Week in the US, and many organizations have resources available to help improve the safety of our schools...
13
10, 2017
FF: Latch Retraction
I don't know if this is a fire door, but it looks like it might have some sort of access-control lock. Unfortunately, convenience often prevails over fire protection and security...
12
10, 2017
Decoded: Protection Plates on Fire Doors
For such a simple piece of hardware, protection plates installed on fire doors have caused more than their fair share of trouble, particularly in health care facilities...
11
10, 2017
WW: School Entrance Security
Today's Wordless Wednesday photos were sent by Austin Bammann of Central Indiana Hardware. This is NOT the way I would provide security at the entrance to a school. :(
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10, 2017
WWYD? Corrosive Environment
This lockset has been installed for a couple of months. The room is labeled "Acid" on the plans, and it is in a building that houses an indoor swimming pool...
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10, 2017
QQ: Opening force for automatic doors
The codes and standards limit the opening force for interior, non-fire-rated, manually-operated doors to 5 pounds, hence the question...
6
10, 2017
FF: Doggie Door?
Guess what this is for. And once you figure it out, what do you think about the potential impact on free egress?
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10, 2017
Fire Door Clearances – Webinar Notes
The other day I posted a video of a webinar about the clearances around fire doors and the effects of those clearances on the performance of the assembly...
4
10, 2017
WW: Furniture Store
I know of several fires where the fire door protected the store from a fire in the warehouse; the doors in this photo won't be providing any protection whatsoever...
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10, 2017
NFPA Webinar: Influence of gap size around swinging doors on fire and smoke development
NFPA recently posted the video of a webinar that answers some questions about clearances around fire door and smoke door assemblies...
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10, 2017
Take care of each other.
For weeks, it feels like I've been waking up to bad news. Earthquakes, floods, fires, now yet another mass shooting...
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09, 2017
FF: Fork Fix
Jeff Dunham of BEA sent me today's Fixed-it Friday photos. While this fire door looks pretty good at first glance, a closer look reveals someone's creative and inexpensive method of keeping the latch retracted...
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09, 2017
QQ: More on Stairwell Reentry
The questions about stairwell reentry never seem to end. I think it's time to work on some code development proposals to add some clarity...
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09, 2017
WW: Emergency Escape Chute
This video made the rounds on social media last week. I will refrain from commenting since it is Wordless Wednesday...
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09, 2017
WWYD? Fire Door Safety Week
A couple of years ago, someone called me during the UK's Fire Door Safety Week. I remember it clearly because not too many people call me these days...
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09, 2017
Fire Door Video
It's Fire Door Safety Week in the UK, and although we don't have an official week dedicated to fire doors in the US, I'm going to share some of the great information from the UK...
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09, 2017
FF: Find Another Exit
Today's Fixed-it Friday photos are from Leo Lebovits at M&D Door & Hardware. Someone had the forethought to remove the exit sign...I wonder if this was approved by the AHJ...
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09, 2017
Mexico City Road Trip
By now you have likely heard about the earthquake that caused property damage, injuries, and deaths in Mexico City and the state of Puebla on Tuesday. This one followed on the heels of another earthquake about a week and a half before, near the border of Mexico and Guatemala. I am fine and we didn't feel a thing, although it shook me up a bit to receive bits and pieces of the news from friends as I was trying to do a code update via webinar.
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09, 2017
WW: How You Can Help Spot Fire Hazards
I was so excited to see this video from the Texas State Fire Marshal's office talking about egress and fire hazards, but I noticed a little problem with one of the doors. Can you find it?
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09, 2017
H.R.620 – ADA Education and Reform Act of 2017
In January of this year, a bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representative Ted Poe of Texas. On September 7th, the House Judiciary Committee voted to advance this bill - H.R. 620...
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09, 2017
23 Fatalities in Malaysia Dormitory Fire
Security bars or grilles are common on windows in many developing countries and in other areas where security is a major concern...
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09, 2017
FF: Seriously Specific Signage
This makes me wonder what incident prompted the need to control which leaf is used for entrance/egress - especially on full-glass doors...
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09, 2017
Fire Door Latching
In order for a fire door assembly to perform as designed and tested, it's critical for the door to be closed and latched if/when a fire occurs...
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09, 2017
WW: Hinge-Hasp
Thank you to Curtis Meskus for these Wordless Wednesday photos. This pair leads to a storage room in a motel. I have a feeling these will show up in one of my nightmares sometime soon.
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09, 2017
LockDontBlock.org
Have you seen the new website from the Door Security & Safety Foundation - LockDontBlock.org?
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09, 2017
Duck Test
This morning I was reading an article about an exit problem at the Mineta San Jose International Airport in California...
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09, 2017
FF: Hospital Door
What led to this "fix"? Any theories?
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09, 2017
Decoded: Fire Door Assembly Classifications
NFPA 80 – Standard for Fire Doors and Other Opening Protectives, classifies openings protected by fire door assemblies in one of five categories...
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09, 2017
WW: What is this?
Derrick Riding sent me today's Wordless Wednesday photo of a hold-open device on a fire door (note the painted label)...
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09, 2017
Upcoming AIA-Approved Webinar
On Thursday, September 14th, Allegion will be offering a free 1-hour webinar on access control hardware - at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Eastern.
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09, 2017
FF: NFPA 101-2018 on Classroom Security
This post has a lot going on. First, since it's Fixed-it Friday and I don't want to disappoint anyone, here's a photo from Bill Stock of Johnson Hardware...
31
08, 2017
State Code Resources
There are a couple of great resources for finding out more information about the state code requirements as well as the model codes and referenced standards.
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08, 2017
WW: Rope and Cleat System
I give up. Not really. I will never give up.
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08, 2017
ID Please
An iDigHardware reader needs your help identifying this lock! Any ideas?
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08, 2017
QQ: Door Pull Clearance
I answered this question a couple of years ago as part of a longer post, but people continue to ask so here goes... "How much clearance do the accessibility standards require behind a door pull?"
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08, 2017
FF: Guatemalan Style
Wrapping up my summer road trip through Guatemala, here are a few Fixed-it Friday photos - and a question.
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08, 2017
WWYD? Measuring Clearance
I was contacted last week by a door and hardware distributor who has provided fire door assemblies with hollow metal frames and wood doors on a hospital project...
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08, 2017
WW: Who needs electrical codes??
Continuing with the Guatemalan theme (until tomorrow when I have a fire door question for you), I encountered this in a public restroom...
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08, 2017
Guatemala and Beyond…
As I promised yesterday, here are a few doors from my recent trip to Guatemala. We saw so many amazing doors - big ones, small ones, ornate doors and utilitarian doors, lots of wicket doors, cool door knockers and other hardware...
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08, 2017
¡Muchisimas Gracias! Thank You!
You may or may not have noticed, I have been on vacation with my kids in Guatemala for the last 2 weeks. I wrote all of my blog posts and articles before I left...
18
08, 2017
FF: Lockout
This is not the intended use of this device. Anyone know what it's for?
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08, 2017
WWYD? Posted Occupant Load
Have you ever noticed a sign stating the maximum occupant load of a room? How about a sign stating that the maximum occupant load is 49 people? I've seen several signs stating the 49-person limit, and I recently received a question that made me ponder this...
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08, 2017
WW: Emergency Exit
I. Have. No. Words.
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08, 2017
QQ: Push ‘N Go For Automatic Operators
In yesterday's post, I wrote about power-assist operators to clarify that these are not the same as low-energy automatic operators. This 2-part question arose from a misconception that "power-assist" is the same thing as "Push 'N Go."