Michigan State Fire Marshall Accepts Classroom Door Barricades, Including Nightlock Lockdown Door Barricade
Flint,MI (PRWEB) July 06, 2015 -- No matter the building, different emergency situations require different actions. These actions should be well-rehearsed and easy to put into play. This is especially true in schools where large groups of often very young individuals will need to be guided to safety. During a fire, leaving the classroom and exiting to an exit corridor is vital. But, during a lockdown situation, such as a possible intruder or shooter, the correct course of action is to stay in the room and secure the door.
The Bureau of Fire Services announced their concern that while trying to prepare for both of these occurrences, schools are using devices that are both unsafe and a violation of new and existing school, college, and university fire safety administrative rules. Devices such as magnetic clips and plates allow a door to be maintained in a locked condition at all times while still allowing occupants to use it without a key. While they can be removed in a lockdown situation and allow the door to be locked, the device violates the above code. To meet the proper code requirements, doors must be able to latch securely when they are closed in order to prevent smoke and fire from entering the corridor system in the event of a fire.
It is the job of school administrators to follow the guidelines of these codes while still finding ways to keep students and teachers safe during all emergency situations. Of course, given recent events, their most urgent concern is the threat of a possible shooter or intruder. The Bureau of Fire Services shares their concerns and strives to provide solutions that will offer security while maintaining security.
To that effect, schools have been searching for the safest and most effective ways to handle an active shooter situation while still meeting the various fire codes. Proper procedure during a lockdown requires teachers to barricade their classroom door. This is typically done with classroom furniture due to a lack of alternative options. This is also difficult, tedious and takes up valuable time, giving an intruder the opportunity to enter the classroom before the barricade is in place. It's also not very effective for outward swing doors and could be broken with enough force.
To remedy this, school administrators have begun searching for devices that will help barricade their classroom doors. While the above mentioned magnets are against fire code, certain devices, that can be put in place during a lockdown situation, are permissible.
The Nightlock Lockdown Door Barricade is one such device. The three-piece barricade is a device that makes it virtually impossible for an intruder to break through an entry door. While two separate pieces are secured to the floor and the door (not violating any codes) the third piece can be dropped in place easily and quickly, allowing a teacher to secure the door in seconds.
The locking handle can be secured near the classroom door or to a teacher's desk (with supplied wall box) until it is needed and then simply dropped onto the base, securing the door. Using the strength of the floor, it can withstand tremendous force. And, since it secures at the floor, it is out of reach if an intruder manages to break glass and reach in.
The Nightlock Lockdown Door Barricade is not on the list of devices that violate the new and existing school, college, and university fire safety administrative rules. You can find more information on these devices and codes on the Michigan State Fire Marshal's website.
There are many reasons a school could go into lockdown, and securing individual classrooms is always top priority. No matter the situation, having a device like the Nightlock Lockdown Door Barricade can save precious seconds and be the difference between a secure classroom and an exposed one.
Jason Matznick, Nightlock, http://www.nightlock.com, +1 248-705-4137, [email protected]
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