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panic hardware

  1. LGreene

    Fire Hoses

    Hello and Happy New Year! I have a rule against making New Year's resolutions, but I am going to make an effort to proactively share more info here rather than just responding to questions as they come in on this forum that I've been sponsoring for the last few years. I really value all of...
  2. K

    Panic Hardware

    I am working on a vestibule for a commercial space, Grou B occupancy. The second floor exits into this vestibule and has an occupancy load of 25. The first floor has an occupancy load of 42, but has 4 other exits besides the vestibule (5 total). Should I assume that the door into the vestibule...
  3. K

    Panic Hardware

    I am working on a vestibule for a commercial building. The vestibule will serve two tenant spaces. One has an occupancy load of 25 and on has an occupancy load of 68. Both are group B occupancy types. There are individual doors coming into the vesitbule from each space, does this vestibule have...
  4. K

    Panic Hardware and Door Closer

    I am trying to figure out if I need panic hardware/door closer/fire rated door for a vestibule that I am designing on an existing building. I have a 5B Construction Type Building, Occupancy Group B. The occupant load is 91 for the entire building spread over three floor. There are 4 exits total...
  5. LGreene

    Panic Hardware Webinar with ICC CEUs

    If you have any questions about panic hardware, this webinar may answer them...and I'm offering continuing education credit through ICC. It's also free! :D If you know all about panic hardware already, maybe you have some colleagues who could benefit from attending. Here's the link...
  6. R

    Panic Hardware required for less than 50 occupants?

    Trying to determine if we need panic hardware on an existing building that is 2 floors, 22 occupants each floor, F-1 occupancy. I have seen several references online that if you have less than 50 occupants, panic hardware is not required. However, I can't seem to find this specific section in IBC.
  7. R

    Hi there!

    A colleague sent me to this site, and I'm wondering which forum I should go to for a panic hardware requirement question?
  8. A

    Classroom Security

    How do you (teacher or other) secure a panic hardware equipped classroom door from the inside in the event of a "shooter" on campus notification? Must dogging keys for panic hardware be an accessible type (paddle?)?
  9. LGreene

    Panic Hardware - 2017 NEC Changes

    I posted a question on the door and hardware forum but since it has to do with the NEC I figured I'd ask here as well. To keep the discussion together in one thread, could you check it out here: https://www.thebuildingcodeforum.com/forum/threads/panic-hardware-2017-nec-changes.21752/?
  10. LGreene

    Panic Hardware - 2017 NEC Changes

    There are some changes in the 2017 National Electrical Code with regard to rooms that require doors to have panic hardware or fire exit hardware. Since the NEC is not one of the codes I spend a lot of time reading, I'm hoping y'all can help me confirm whether I'm interpreting this correctly (or...
  11. LGreene

    Non-code-compliant security devices

    There was a discussion on the door and hardware forum that veered into this topic a bit, but I'd like to get some more insight from any AHJs. There is currently a lot of talk about the retrofit locking devices used by some schools for classroom security (AKA classroom barricade devices). These...
  12. LGreene

    Sensor Bars for Egress

    Since this question came to me from a code official, I thought y'all might be interested in reading about it. The issue is the use of sensor bars in a school that require building occupants to remove their gloves in order to exit. The blog post is here...
  13. LGreene

    Posting Occupant Load to Avoid Panic Hardware

    Many times I have seen an occupant load posted at 49 people. I guess that could be the calculated occupant load, but in some cases I have seen that occupant load posted in order to avoid a second exit, outswinging doors, and/or panic hardware. I looked in the IBC Commentary for something...
  14. LGreene

    Fire Exit Hardware on Non-Fire-Rated Doors

    Because of the increased enforcement of annual inspections of fire door assemblies, I'm getting a lot of questions about fire doors. I'm attempting to answer them on my site as they come, but I'd love some input from y'all. Today's question was whether it is ok to install fire exit hardware...
  15. LGreene

    Panic Hardware Refresher

    If you have questions about panic hardware, here's a summary that might help: http://idighardware.com/2017/04/decoded-panic-hardware-refresher-may-2017/ Let me know if you disagree with anything! :)
  16. LGreene

    Actuating Portion of Panic Hardware

    I always thought this was pretty clear...the actuating portion of panic hardware (the touchpad or crossbar) has to measure at least half the width of the door. For a 3-foot door, that's 18 inches. For a 4-foot door, 24 inches. For a door that's in between 3 feet and 4 feet wide, we use panic...
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