Most types of latching hardware - including electromechanical locks - allow free egress in a similar fashion to standard mechanical hardware; turn the lever or push the touchpad, and the latch retracts. Electromagnetic locks do not function this way, so additional release devices are required in order to allow building occupants to exit by removing power from the mag-lock to break the electromagnetic bond.
Fire doors are required to be closed and latched if/when a fire occurs. A closed fire door helps to deter the spread of smoke and flames, and the latch prevents the door from being opened by the pressure created during a fire.
The International Building Code (IBC) and NFPA 101-Life Safety Code include different requirements for providing security and allowing egress from an elevator lobby to a tenant space. Because the IBC doesn't currently include a section similar to NFPA 101 regarding elevator lobby egress, some states and local jurisdictions have modified the model codes in order to allow elevator lobby doors to be locked. It's very important to know which code is being enforced and what requirements apply to the elevator lobby doors in a project's jurisdiction.
A delayed egress lock is a type of electrified hardware that prevents egress for 15 seconds (or 30 seconds where allowed by the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ)). When a building occupant attempts to exit through a door equipped with a delayed egress lock, an alarm will sound and the door will remain locked; signage is required to be mounted on the door explaining the operation of the lock. When the time delay is complete, the door may then be opened by normal operation of the hardware, to allow building occupants to exit. If there is a fire alarm or power failure, the delayed egress lock must allow immediate egress with no delay. The products commonly used for delayed egress applications include panic hardware / fire exit hardware or electromagnetic locks that incorporate delayed egress circuitry..
The terms "fail safe" and "fail secure" are used with electrified hardware to indicate the condition of the product when power is not present. A fail safe lock will be unlocked on the access side when there is no power to the lock; a fail secure lock will be locked on the access side when power is removed. Typically, the hardware will allow free egress as required by the model codes for most doors in a means of egress - it is usually the access side of the lock that is either locked or unlocked when power is applied/cut.
The door on the bottom level in this photo is the stair discharge door and must allow free egress out of the stairwell; in most jurisdictions this door is allowed to be mechanically locked on the access/ingress side. The door at the top of the stairs must allow code-compliant egress into the stairwell; the stair side of this door is required by the IBC to be able to be remotely unlocked via a switch at the fire command center or other approved location.
