The other day while I was out with my family I wondered off to the restroom. The way this facility set up their sites is pretty typical for the most part. With the restrooms located in the back off the store, they become a great place for place to install an exit from the facility, right? Yeah I think so. But what if the emergency exit door you hopefully never need to use to save a life reads this: "PUSH UNTIL ALARM SOUNDS DOOR CAN BE OPENED IN 15 SECONDS".Now this make some sense as the facility would like to make sure that the shopper exiting the premises during an emergency does not in fact have any unpaid merchandise. Seem fair? In a way....
Now flip the tables and lets take a look from the shopper or victim's take on this scenario. Act #1: A fire breaks out in the store and a shopper is in the restroom. When they exit the restroom they will immediately try to vacate the facility through the rear emergency exit. Here is the catch. The fire in the store is spreading at an alarming rate and has removed the shoppers safe exit path. The only way he or she has out of the building is through this emergency exit with a 15 second delay. With the fire moving at incredible speed it cannot be guaranteed that the shopper will make it out of the door before the flames and or intense heat reaches their body. Another deadly trait of fire that kills millions is smoke inhalation. Whit that said, it makes sense to be as far away from these disasters as soon as possible. Anything causing a delay, especially a door marked "emergency exit" is a tremendious obsticale in your path to escape and survival.
That crash bar is not a delay crash bar. I cannot see the whole door, but unless there is another device holding the door shut, there is no delay on that door. Of course, if there was it would have to release with the fire alarm activation or loss of primary power ( no battery back up allowed).
ReplyDeleteThe crash bar has a local sounder powered by a 9v battery, internally it has a on/off switch to reset it.
The biggest problem with those crash bars is the fact they are not exercised enough and can, and do, get stuck shut. You have to kick them open.
It's called delayed egress. In Louisiana it is required for the fire panel to drop the power instantly. Even though the door says wait 15 seconds, if the panel is in alarm it will open. If you're ever in this situation, just pull the manual box that's hopefully placed within 5 feet of the exit door.
ReplyDeleteYou guys are correct with the fire alarm panel activation. However, a lot of these type of establishments that are older they will typically have a sprinkler monitoring system. With this type of system you would not see pull boxes at every exit. Also depending on where the fire had started there might be a delay since the only automatic detectors would be the waterflow with at least a 30 second delay or a duct detector. Could take a while for the alarm to activate if there is no means for a manual activation nearby. Just a thought. Good stuff guys.
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