Security or Safety
By Richard Piccolo
Security or safety? It’s like the chicken or the egg, which came first?
When I was a new in this industry, as a fire inspector, the use of keyed
locks or dead bolts were common. It took time and hard work to educate
business and property owners about the value of a safe means of egress.
We can all list tragedies where inadequate non-compliant means of egress
was the cause.
Now we face numerous new security issues from international terrorism to
industrial espionage and/or employee dishonesty. No individual involved
with these issues should have access to buildings. The question is,
which scenario should take precedence over the other? In today’s
technologically advanced world, they are all equally important. I don’t
think one should take precedence. Safety and security can be achieved
with thought and in some cases new technology.
When starting a project the first thing to do is list safety and
security measures to accomplish.
Let's deal with a hypothetical issue. A building owner wants to limit
access through rear exit doors. A guard station used to check
credentials to allow entry protects the main entrance. The rear exits
are locked from the outside, so there can be no entry through the rear
doors and the code has no specific requirements for rear exits to be
locked from the outside, assuming the rear doors are not required for
handicapped or fire department access.
Next the building owner wants to limit egress through rear doors. The
code specifically indicates all egress doors shall open from the inside
without a key. There is a section for delayed egress locks. In certain
groups, this allows the use of specialized hardware. This specialized
hardware enables the egress doors to be locked but still allows for
egress. The doors unlock if an alarm is activated or power fails. If an
occupant attempts to open the door when no alarm is activated, the door
will automatically open after a certain period (15 to 30 seconds).
There is no code requirement, which would not allow a security alarm to
activate when a door is opened or attempted to be opened from the
inside.
The area would also require signage and emergency lights. In this
situation, we have complied with both safety and security objectives. So
when considering which comes first, the chicken or egg, we only have to
worry about: scrambled or fried.
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