Fire Doors

[barrfieldsboy]

In our theatre we have the most annoying thing that to the left of the proscenium arch there is a normal door with an emergency escape sign on top (I'll refer to it as Door A). Through that you immediately come to a staircase going directly up to the stage and on the left is a staircase leading to a fire exit (door B) and a door to the dressing rooms.

 

This door A is annoying as it does not give privacy during a production. For example, in a recent amateur dance show, mothers kept going through the door during the performance to check up on their children in the dressing room. This is most distracting and was certainly a stupid place to position a fire exit. It does not give privacy at all.

 

Does anyone know if some sort of security swipe system can be installed on Door A but opens in an emergency? This will stop mothers going backstage and also stop people looking into the auditorium from it thinking they can't be seen.

[Brian]

Does anyone know if some sort of security swipe system can be installed on Door A but opens in an emergency?  This will stop mothers going backstage and also stop people looking into the auditorium from it thinking they can't be seen.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes, it's called a steward.

[gareth]

Some sort of lock behind a breakglass? Or, if your staff need access through the door in the course of their duties, some kind of an electronic code lock with a breakglass override?

[barrfieldsboy]

I mean some sort of swipe card system for staff that automatically opens when the alarms sound?!!!

[gareth]

I mean some sort of swipe card system for staff that automatically opens when the alarms sound?!!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If you want something that integrates with your fire alarm system, you'd be best talking to your fire alarm engineers and getting their recommendations.

[Bryson]

At my old work we had cardkey access that failed "open" during an alarm. Might be a touch more expensive than you want to spend though!

[paulears]

It's normal practice to have a locked door, like Gareth says and a break glass handle works fine IF the licencing officer will go for it.

 

That said, it's quite unusual for the audience to have to use a pass door to backstage as a fire exit. It may be possible, if you have sufficient other exits to pursuade the fire officer that the exit sign can be removed, and a proper catch fitted, making the door private not public. internally, the fire exit would just be a fire exit for backstage only.

 

On the mother front - the last few dance shows we've done have been pretty secure because the organisers have banned parents apart from vetted ones. Last one had passes given to chaperones and parents!

[gareth]

On the mother front - the last few dance shows we've done have been pretty secure because the organisers have banned parents apart from vetted ones. Last one had passes given to chaperones and parents!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Just going OT for a moment (sorry!) - I can't help but wonder whether that sort of arrangement will become much more common in the very near future, given the litigious society in which we live and the increasing requirement for things like CRB disclosure checks for anyone who's going to come into contact with children in the course of doing their job (whether that job is paid or voluntary). From a theatre's operational point of view, it can only be a good thing - the last thing you need when you're trying to cope with a cast of 100 children in a dance school show is 100 parents fussing around and getting in the way.

[paulears]

Best thing was when I was interogated by this woman who said "where's your pass?" and then implied that without one I must be a pervert. I had my crb rejected at first because I wasn't able to put my place of birth on the form, so left it blank. I explained I was adopted, but they weren't having any of it. In the end I had to photocopy my birth certificate to convince them I really didn't know!

[Darkfold]

If you get an electric door that fails open, make sure if STAYS failed open even if the alarm is no longer sounding. Its a right pain in the arse if you need to check the building during a practice. we have them in certain areas of the school and they revert to locked when the alarm stops ringing, which has trapped at least one student in its time.

[nickb12345]

Hi

 

We are in a similar situation in our theatre and I wanted to ask a similar question. As its very close to this one I have posted it here but if the moderators feel it should be a seperate thread feel free to split it!

 

Anyway... being a school environment we get all the usual year 10 kids who think its cool to mess around backstage during their lunch break. The main problem is because the stage door is a fire exit it has to be unlocked (obviously) which meens the kids can come and go as they please (grrr).

 

So the question is... if we put an electronic lock (code or card... not decided) on the outside what sort of thing to we need inside to allow emergancy exit? Is one of them yale locks ok (with electric catch for entry) or do we need a break glass button as mentioned above?

 

Also in your experiance is it better to have a yale lock which they open from the inside manually or a mortice lock with a button inside to open?

 

Thanks for the help!

 

Nick

[Jivemaster]

As its a fire door it was clearly required by someone in the design stage of your venue. To change it will require a change of licence terms, which in a good political climate your licence holder should discus with the licencing officer and maybe the fire officer for your area. even a Break glass would need licence approval. If there is anything sub standard about your venue then the application will likely cause the licensing officer to demand everything brought to standard at the same time.

[the kid]

Not sure how this might work, but at my old school we had a spate of fire extinguishes going off. They then put them in to a big wall mounted box with locks and a key. The key located in a break glass box next to it.

 

Could you not install a lock and have a key box next to it, for emergencies and all crew/workers own a key. I've seen the boxes in screw fix or machine mart.

[nickb12345]

The venue was up-graded 2 years ago from the main hall when the school recieved arts college status and the old doors were painted and left as they are. At the moment its less safe (is that correct?) because if we forget to unlock it in the morning (does happen) it will be locked in the event of a fire alarm. (we use the foh doors for general access rather than stage door).

 

The problem with the key lock is during a production the door gets used for performers access and they need to be able to open it. But the door cant be wedged open because it creates a draft backstage and slams other doors in the area!

 

Thanks for help

 

Nick

[mac.calder]

What about changing the jam to be an electronic jam which defaults to open upon power cut - we have them here at the uni, with code locks on the doors. In fires, the electronic catch allows the door to just be pushed open even although the door is locked.