Emergency Exits

[Kanewpadle]

This will give you a basic understanding of emergency exits, what some of them look like, and how they function.

The point of this post is so you know what to look for because things aren't always as they seem.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is the leading authority on life safety codes which is adopted by all levels of government. Although some may or may not enforce some or all of the codes.

I can't tell you about every single code they have established so we will focus on concealed carry and situational awareness.

If you're smart, you will notice the emergency exits when you enter a building. Some of us will sit facing the main entrance and close to an emergency exit.

BUT, how many entrances are there? Are any of the emergency exit doors propped open allowing someone to enter undetected? Is it indeed locked? Does the hardware work properly and is it the correct hardware?

According to NFPA 101 (not word for word mind you) To exit in case of emergency, the hardware must allow one motion to egress by a five year old child having never seen the door prior.

This is why you will see on most emergency exits a lever handle or panic bar.

The occupancy and type of business will determine which is used.

The next pic is also an emergency exit device but it has a built in alarm. The decibel level is approximately 100. Uses a nine volt battery and they don't get replaced as often as they should. The purpose of this unit is to deter use of the door unless absolutely necessary. There are MANY different types and they don't all look the same!

The next several pics show doors that are illegally locked and/or they don't meet code.

Did you notice the one pic with the padlock on the outside of the door? don't laugh. Seen it many times.

Also, one more panic bar you should know of. This is a pic of a DELAYED EGRESS panic bar.

Again, this device DELAYS EGRESS! Some of these have to be pushed in to activate and some are touch sensitive.

SO........When you look, what do you see?

Is the pathway to the exit clear as it should be by code? Can you get out and do so quickly? Do you want to be delayed while trying to get out?

I don't expect this to be easy for some but at least you get the idea. Don't just look to see where the door is. Look at the hardware if you can and see for yourself.

The wost offenders? Restaurants. Kitchen doors and delivery doors get propped open allowing unrestricted access. And some small business owners either don't know or don't care about the codes. I rarely see code violations on bigger businesses such as department stores, malls, movie theaters etc...

I know I forgot something. So lets discuss this. Ask questions.

 

[gdnagle]

And I like the places that have stuff piled in front of the doors or the idiots that block them on the outside. Illegal yes but they do it anyway. Saw a truck parked in front of a emergency exit today whet I went to the store and it was well marked on the ground and door. Like I said there are idiots out there.

Some schools are notorious for the chains on the doors also.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

Thanks for the reminder! Ivan

 

[DaGOOSExyz]

Thanks for this worth while post. Kanewpadle Knowing where the
emergency exit is could save your life. On a plane or movie theater
they tell you to count the rows to the closet way out. In a fire the
smoke might be so dense you have to feel your way to the exit.
There have been two or three times I went somewhere and there
were so many people you could hardly move. I knew in a fire or
any emergency not all would get out. I left, nothing is worth your
life.

 

[YogiBear]

Aloha,

I have turned in stores with padlocked Emergency Exits to the Fire Dept.

They took care of the stores that lock the doors.

 

[rojodiablo]

I know I forgot something. So lets discuss this. Ask questions.

Strangely, you have no picture of a large window and a chair..... the original EMERGENCY EXIT!!!

 

[Rastoff]

Good post. OSHA also requires that exit signs mist be able to be seen from anywhere in the building. This is the rule I see most violated in industrial settings. So, look for the exits before you need them. They may not be clearly marked.

 

[islamoradamark]

when we were young kids we would sit in front row of movie theater and open the emergency door to let other friends in that had no money but that was back in the 60 s. now that im older i know it was wrong. but i didnt do it i just watched my friend do it

 

[EQGuy]

Several years ago I was working in the new addition on the Moscone Center in San Francisco calibrating accelometers that had been installed by the construction contractor. To get to some of them I had to use the emergency exit. The interior door locked behind me and the exterior door was chained and padlocked closed. Fortunately my coworker heard me pounding on the interior door and let me back in the building. After that whenever we had to work in that space we propped the interior door open so we could get back in. This was before the building opened and I often wonder if the exterior doors are still chained shut.