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Barracade Devices vs Fire Code and ADA

A

ADAguy

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Joined
Sep 11, 2013
Messages
6,307
Location
California
Homeland Security is calling for teachers to be able to self protect their classrooms from unauthorized entry. This is frustrating some teachers when students have a need to exit and then later reenter the classroom. Some venders are now offering so called barracade devices to be installed either premanently or temporarily when an alarm sounds.

When installed they do not allow for single action operation to open the door. This appears contrary to both fire codes and ADA and may prevent FD entry when being used.

What say you all to this?
 
Agree presently do not meet most building codes.

Teachers need to contact ahj and report
 
They will not be permitted regardless and any proposal(s) for a device that limits one's egress won't get serious traction. The emergency egress is the necessary component and existing locking arrangements that prevent entry from intruders are available and approved. This issue is a convenience matter and does not belong nor should generate much serious discussion in a code change consideration (from a technical committee) perspective.
 
When these devices started hitting the market, I didn't take them seriously. There are no standards that they are required to comply with, they are not listed for use on a fire door, most of them do not meet the accessibility standards, and they don’t comply with the model code requirements for egress. Anyone can make anything in their garage and call it a classroom barricade device. Who in their right mind would allow a product like that to be used in schools?

Unfortunately, there was a very important lesson learned in Ohio, where a school district was told by code officials that they could not use the barricade devices purchased by a community group. The community group got their state legislators involved and a law was passed that would allow the devices to be used. The Ohio Board of Building Standards was forced by this law to make a code change that allows the devices to be used with very few restrictions.

I was told by a disability rights group in Ohio that this method of locking classroom doors is a violation of the ADA, but the new law goes into effect shortly, and schools will be allowed to secure their classrooms with a device that delays or prevents egress. The devices could be installed by an unauthorized person to lock a classroom door and commit a crime, and most of the products do not allow authorized access from the outside, so school staff and emergency responders would be unable to enter. Many organizations have taken a position against this form of classroom security, and there are changes to the model codes that will strengthen the 2018 code requirements if approved.

I would recommend that states take this seriously and be proactive about establishing policies about these products, before the legislators starting writing your state codes. For anyone interested in this issue, here’s a white paper on the subject: http://passk12.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/PASS-White-Paper-Classroom-Barricade-Devices-Final.pdf. There's tons of other information on the School Security page of my website: http://idighardware.com/schools/.
 
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