As we wrap up September with kids back in school, KENDELL would like to touch on the impact that the correct opening solutions can make in keeping students and staff safe. There has been much debate about the proper way to help prevent active shooters and alike from entering a space. One of the most common mistakes is using a barricade or creating a makeshift structure in front of a door, which allows for the possibility of more harm than benefit.
There are issues to be aware of with both barricades and locksets/door locking devices. In an article published by the Alice Training Institute, they are defined as:
Barricade: An improvised structure set up, as across a route of access, to obstruct the passage of an enemy or opponent. A usually temporary structure set up to restrict or control the movement of people.
Lockset/Door Locking Device (Egress Lock): A set of hardware for shutting or locking a door. By definition, a Door Locking Device requires a door in order to work whereby definition of barricade does not require a door.
There are three major faults in using a door barricade/barricade device. The first danger is that the threat (person, fire, gas, etc.) could be within the individual’s space, which has the possibility of trapping the individual within. Use of a barricade also makes it much more difficult and time consuming for rescue assistance. The second fault of a barricade device is the difficulty to exit a space quickly if need be. Finally, barricades often do not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which could also make it much more difficult for some to evacuate.
A very common lockset/door locking device issue is that many doors within schools must be locked from the outside. For example, in order for a teacher to lock a classroom while they and their students are inside, the teacher would need to step into the hallway to lock the door before stepping back inside, thus putting themselves and the children at risk.
KENDELL and our partners are here to help walk you through opening solutions to avoid the use of a barricade device and utilize safer locking solutions. President/CEO of KENDELL, John Katter, is active on the Board of Trustees with the Door Security & Safety Foundation and Lock Don’t Block initiatives. KENDELL takes pride in being knowledgeable about what we can do within our industry to help protect our communities.
We believe that the key to safety is finding the right fit for your locations. This can entail key systems, keypads, wireless and online control systems, to Hi-O entry solutions. With a classroom security function lock, educators are able to lock their classroom from the inside of the classroom, without stepping into the hallway. Understanding that every level of education and situation is different, we aim to blend in seamlessly to your design goals, needs and technologies, as well as making sure that our products are code compliant.
Please use the following links for further information on school safety education, solutions and options.
Door Security & Safety Foundation
