WW: Please Open Door Slowly
Today's Wordless Wednesday photo was spotted on Flickr by Deputy Jeff Tock of Allegion. I wonder how long this sign has been dangling...
17
12, 2014
16
12, 2014
Life Safety vs. School Security
It has been two years since the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Security has become a priority for many school districts, and I do believe that schools are more secure now. Added security won't be able to prevent every school-related incident, especially when so many of the "intruders" have actually been members of the school community - often students...
12
12, 2014
FF: New LCN Special Template
It's called the Ives Cush Stop (just kidding - we don't endorse this application!)...
11
12, 2014
Video: NIST Fire Simulation
A report recently released by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) examines the fire dynamics of a house fire in Chicago, where failure of a door released hot gases and resulted in the death of a firefighter.
10
12, 2014
WW: Not an Exit (Any More)
This door is in a high school auditorium, and although it no longer seems to be used as an exit (and there are marked exits nearby), it is the first door you see when attempting to exit. Many AHJs will tell you that if it looks like an exit, it has to act like an exit...
9
12, 2014
FBI Study on Active Shooters
One of the speakers at last week's NFPA School Safety Summit was Katherine Schweit, a Supervisory Special Agent for the FBI. Agent Schweit spoke about the FBI's Active Shooter Initiative, and the published study that was recently released.
8
12, 2014
Online Decoded Class 2
My next online Decoded class will be held on Wednesday, December 17th from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Eastern. This is the second class in the series of 4 presented on behalf of the Door & Hardware Institute where I will cover the requirements for fire door assemblies, including...
5
12, 2014
FF: I’m Wordless
I know it's Fixed-it Friday, but I'm Wordless. Maybe you can help? Caption this...
4
12, 2014
Mag-Locks Revisited
I'm at the NFPA School Safety Summit this week and it has been an amazing opportunity to hear from code officials, first responders, and other experts, and to break into smaller groups to discuss school safety issues and the necessary code changes. I'll definitely have more to report on this later.
3
12, 2014
WW: Esoteric Exits
If I had a dollar for every time I was asked to make a door invisible, I'd have enough money to buy that desert island I've been dreaming of. But then y'all would have to find a new place to send your Wordless Wednesday photos...
2
12, 2014
Keep Your ‘I’ on BIM, William Lawliss
This article by my coworker, Bill Lawliss, appeared in last month's issue of Doors & Hardware magazine. In case you're not a subscriber and are interested in BIM, I'm sharing it here (or you can download the reprint here)...
1
12, 2014
Video: Close the Door
Most of you know how important a door can be in preventing the spread of fire, but recent efforts are helping the general public understand the value of their doors and how to use them as a tool to save lives...
26
11, 2014
WW: Booth by the Exit
I have to admit, I do like to sit where I can see the exit. But this might be a little too close for comfort...
25
11, 2014
Feng Shui
To be honest, I haven't spent a lot of time thinking about feng shui, which is an ancient art and science developed over 3,000 years ago in China. The goal of Feng Shui is to balance the energies of a space to ensure health and good fortune. I do know that I'm not supposed to store stuff under my bed, which might be the reason I'm often unbalanced.
24
11, 2014
Almudena Cathedral – Madrid, Spain
These beautiful doors are from the Almudena Cathedral in Madrid. Construction on the cathedral began in 1883, but due to the Civil War and other delays, the cathedral was not consecrated for worship until 1993. The extremely ornate bronze doors are the work of sculptor Luis Antonio Sanguino, who began work on them in 2000...
21
11, 2014
FF: Dutch Door and More
Mark Lineberger of Valley Doors and Hardware sent me today's Fixed-it Friday photo. This dutch door (I use the term loosely) was seen at the NYC Port Authority Bus Terminal. I know it's Friday but I'm Wordless.
19
11, 2014
School Guard Glass
School Guard Glass is a new product that can retrofit existing 1/4" glass at a cost of about $1,000-$1,200 per full glass door lite, and it kept the testing agent at bay for 6 minutes during independent testing. What do you think?
19
11, 2014
WW: Emerald City
Did you know??? NFPA 101 - The Life Safety Code states, "It shall be the duty of principals, teachers, or staff to inspect all exit facilities daily to ensure that all stairways, doors, and other exits are in proper condition." I think someone missed this one...
18
11, 2014
WWYD? Stairwell Pressure
When you have a pressurized stairwell that is required for smoke control, the increased pressure in the stairwell makes doors swinging into the stair more difficult to open, and doors swinging out of the stair may not close and latch. WWYD?
17
11, 2014
School Security in the News
After Sandy Hook, school districts around the country began focusing intently on security systems like fences, guards, and shatterproof glass at entries. The new Sandy Hook will have impact-resistant windows and an intercom screening systems for visitors...
14
11, 2014
FF: Serendipitous Hold-Open
It's Fixed-it Friday! And just announced...I will be conducting my online Decoded course on behalf of the Door and Hardware Institute starting next week!
13
11, 2014
Rescue Hardware on Corridor Doors
Is rescue hardware allowed on a corridor door in a hospital or nursing home? Is the door able to provide an effective barrier to limit the passage of smoke without the frame stop?
12
11, 2014
WW: Climb to Exit
Jerry Rice of DH Pace sent me today's Wordless Wednesday photo. This behavior isn't going to change until someone gets in trouble...
10
11, 2014
Flickr Favorites
I'm in Rochester, New Hampshire today, completing the practicum phase of my NFPA Certified Fire Plans Examiner certification, so here is a quick post about a new feature of this site!
7
11, 2014
FF: Panic Hardware Hacks
Here are two creative fixes for problems with panic hardware...what issues were these Fixed-it Friday "solutions" designed to rectify?
6
11, 2014
Concealed Vertical Cable Exit Devices Fill a Church’s Tall Order
When St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church needed a way to secure pairs of 14-foot tall bronze doors in its new church, it found the answer in exit devices with the Von Duprin® Concealed Vertical Cable (CVC) system from Allegion...
5
11, 2014
WW: Good Luck
It's Wordless Wednesday again...thank you to Keith Moore who sent this photo via Jeff Tock of Allegion.
4
11, 2014
Help Wanted – School Safety
I'm working on an article for a print publication, that covers the some of the common code issues affecting schools and mistakes that may be made - particularly in the rush to secure a school against an intruder. The topics I've included are:
3
11, 2014
Rehearsing for death: A pre-K teacher on the trouble with lockdown drills
When we talk about school security / school safety we bring different perspectives to the table. Many of us are parents or grandparents of children in school. Some are educators or administrators, or those responsible for designing, securing, or maintaining school buildings. Others are first responders or code officials. In a recent edition of the Washington Post there was an article giving a teacher's prespective on school lockdown...
31
10, 2014
Happy Halloween!
Last weekend our church had a Halloween party with a haunted house for the kids. Because (as Popeye always said) "I yam what I yam," I wondered about the egress plans if there was an emergency. Maybe a maze made of cardboard and sheets with no open flames in a church basement for 3 hours with lots of adult supervision isn't a huge concern, but haunted houses have become big business...
29
10, 2014
WW: Exit – Keep Locked!
It's Wordless Wednesday, and this "exit" leaves me wordless...
28
10, 2014
Cease Fire Door Hinge
As most of you know, I love to see creativity and innovation within the door and hardware industry, especially if it helps to increase fire prevention and life safety. I received a video this morning, introducing a product that has been developed by two retired FDNY firefighters. It is a spring hinge with a fusible link, so in normal operation it acts as a typical hinge but when exposed to heat it closes the door...
27
10, 2014
Steel Door Institute: Tornado Doors
Last year I wrote a couple of blog posts about tornado doors - one called Tornado Safety in Schools, which included articles and other information about tornadoes that had recently occurred in Oklahoma and Texas. The other post was Shelter from the Storm, which described changes to the 2015 International Building Code...
24
10, 2014
FF: Curved Keyway
This cylinder is really cool...a curved keyway and a flexible key. I didn't say it was practical. If you're curious about how it works, you can check out the patent here...
23
10, 2014
Decoded Quick-Tips: Delayed Egress
Today is the second webinar in the series for access control integrators, so here is my second list of Quick-Tips (the first list can be downloaded here). There have been some changes in the 2015 edition of the IBC, so it's worth a review...
22
10, 2014
WW: BHMA in AZ
I spent most of last week in Arizona at the BHMA meeting, and I found this great (terrible) Wordless Wednesday photo for you. If you're new to this site, the problem with this exit is that it has been modified for use as display space in a souvenir shop at the Phoenix airport. Doors in the means of egress must be visible, with no decorations, mirrors, curtains, or stuffed monkeys...
21
10, 2014
Schlage L909x
I don't know about you, but once a product number takes root in my head I have a tough time getting used to a new one. I've still got numbers in there from the 80's! But it's time to do a memory upgrade because the Schlage L9080-EL and L9080-EU locksets have been replaced with a series of new and improved electrified mortise locks...
20
10, 2014
Fire Champ
Personally, I would love to take a photo, fill in some information, and have it routed to the correct fire department. But there are challenges when considering an app like this for use on a wider scale...
17
10, 2014
FF: Fire Exit Hardware
I can't count how many times I've been asked for help when a label from a listing laboratory has been removed by the painter/cleaner/installer/meddling kid from the door/frame/armor plate/fire exit hardware. Unfortunately, I'm not much help...I can't send you a new label to stick on. That's what makes these Fixed-it Friday photos so sad...
16
10, 2014
Upcoming Webinars
Allegion is conducting a series of monthly webinars for access control integrators, which address code compliant access solutions for various applications. All webinars are held at 2 p.m. Eastern. Click here to register or to access recordings of past webinars in this series...
15
10, 2014
WW: Intermittent Arcing
Paul Goldense of Goldense Building Products took today's Wordless Wednesday photo while searching for the problem causing mag-locks in a psychiatric unit to work intermittently. I think he found the issue...
14
10, 2014
6 Accessibility Changes to Watch Out For (November 2014)
The 2010 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Standards for Accessible Design went into effect in March of 2012, but there are several requirements that continue to surprise architects and specifiers as well as door and hardware suppliers. These issues can be costly to resolve if they’re discovered after the doors and hardware are on-site, so it’s important to stay current on the requirements...
10
10, 2014
FF: Custom Wide Throw Hinges
Check out this Fixed-it Friday photo of a creative hinge modification, sent in by Andy Armstrong of BR Johnson. At least it doesn't appear to be a fire door...
9
10, 2014
Breaks on Impact, by Rob Botman
It has been a while since I've posted about the hazards of traditional wired glass, but the problem has not gone away. Although the US codes have changed, there are millions of existing pieces of this glass in schools and other buildings. Canada has seen several lawsuits lately - 1 worth more than 5 million dollars, and what's particularly interesting is that some of the glass in question met the code requirements in place in Canada at the time of installation, but facilities may still be held liable for wired glass injuries because they should have been aware of the hazard and addressed it. I am posting the article below with permission from the author, Rob Botman. The article first appeared in Glass Canada, and a reprint can be downloaded by clicking here. There is additional information about the requirements for glazing on the Glass tab above.^
8
10, 2014
WW: School Security
These are egress doors in an occupied school gym. Luckily they are going to be replaced shortly, but meanwhile, I'm Wordless.
7
10, 2014
More on Electric Strikes on Fire Door Assemblies
Recently a question from a code official landed in my inbox - "Can an electric strike on a fire door be operated by a motion sensor?" For example, if a door was often used by people carrying boxes or other large items, could a sensor release the strike so the building occupants could just push on the door rather than turning the lever to exit?
6
10, 2014
Allegion Support
I receive lots of questions daily. Usually they are code questions, but I also receive questions about our products. To help you find answers to some of the product questions more quickly, I have added links to some Allegion support resources in the right sidebar. -->
3
10, 2014
FF: Thru-Bolts, Who Needs ‘Em?
It's my 20th anniversary with the company, my site has had more than 1 million pageviews, and I just received one of my favorite photos EVER! Check it out...
2
10, 2014
OTU (Openings Terminology for the Unenlightened) – Frames
This is SO COOL. I LOVE it. I know it probably seems like it doesn't take that much to excite me, but when this hit my inbox, it really made my day...all because Dan Dateno of BR Johnson combined his sketching ability with his career in doors and hardware to illustrate alternate definitions for common door and hardware terminology.
1
10, 2014
WW: Hole in the Wall
It's Wordless Wednesday again! When I was in Baltimore a few weeks ago, I was loitering around these pairs of fire doors leading from the exhibit hall to the service corridor...