Re: Medico Deadbolt Problem
Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2013 10:36 pm
At the risk of being blunt, I will raise an issue here.
-A door equipped with a push bar, a crash bar, a panic bar or an emergency exit device or whatever you want to call it is normally part of an exit path. They are normally installed on certain doors because they NEED to be there as per the fire and/or the building code to ease egress and preserve lives. Where I come from, the fire code AND building code state that In case of an emergency and/or an evacuation is necessary, all the doors in the egress path must: open in a single motion, open with the flow of traffic, without prior knowledge and be self latching...Three of these rules are being broken here. It does not latch (the magnet), it requires more than a single motion to open (push bar AND turn deadbolt) and requires prior knowledge of the secondary locking device (the deadbolt)...
Many will say "but everybody here knows to turn the deadbolt to exit..." The thing is, the fire department does not. In the event that they need to get into a shop to combat a fire, a chemical spill a hostage situation or to diffuse a bomb or whatever, they rely on that unobstructed egress path to save/preserve the lives of other and their own.
IMO, the problem here is having a deadbolt in the first place...Perhaps you should bring this life saving issue with your safety officer or powers that be. Where I live, safety comes BEFORE security. The solution then is easy. Comply with the fire code, remove the deadbolt, plug the holes and have a good day.
M.
-A door equipped with a push bar, a crash bar, a panic bar or an emergency exit device or whatever you want to call it is normally part of an exit path. They are normally installed on certain doors because they NEED to be there as per the fire and/or the building code to ease egress and preserve lives. Where I come from, the fire code AND building code state that In case of an emergency and/or an evacuation is necessary, all the doors in the egress path must: open in a single motion, open with the flow of traffic, without prior knowledge and be self latching...Three of these rules are being broken here. It does not latch (the magnet), it requires more than a single motion to open (push bar AND turn deadbolt) and requires prior knowledge of the secondary locking device (the deadbolt)...
Many will say "but everybody here knows to turn the deadbolt to exit..." The thing is, the fire department does not. In the event that they need to get into a shop to combat a fire, a chemical spill a hostage situation or to diffuse a bomb or whatever, they rely on that unobstructed egress path to save/preserve the lives of other and their own.
IMO, the problem here is having a deadbolt in the first place...Perhaps you should bring this life saving issue with your safety officer or powers that be. Where I live, safety comes BEFORE security. The solution then is easy. Comply with the fire code, remove the deadbolt, plug the holes and have a good day.
M.