The Crucial Importance of Panic Bars for your Commercial Property
If you have a public commercial building of any kind, then you’re probably aware that your facility is required to have “panic hardware” to follow the law to provide proper egress and ingress in case of emergency. A panic bar is a push bar that has to be installed on each exit door, which allows people to leave in a big hurry. An unobstructed and uninterrupted departure path to a place of safety is also required. These doors are normally needed in restaurants, taverns, schools, malls, and other public spaces. It’s vital that you obey the law when it comes to protecting everyone in your commercial facility. If you aren’t up to code, you won’t pass inspection and you’ll be closed down. When you install these critical devices, you’ll be guarding the safety of every occupant - customer, visitor, and personnel alike.
Panic bars will prevent entry from the opposite side of the door. On the inside, they ensure a quick exit in an emergency. A panic bar locking only from the outside is permitted on an exit discharge door. Generally, rooms with electrical equipment must include fire exit hardware or panic hardware that allows a professional technician to get out if there’s a fire or explosion.
Panic hardware consists of a latching device, with a crossbar or touchpad spanning across at least half of the door’s width, which releases the latch when pushed. Panic hardware is also called an “exit device” or “crash bar”; for fire doors, it’s referred to as “fire exit hardware.” This dedicated hardware is used where the code requires that you make it possible for a large number of people to make a fast exit, and it also provides increased durability.
When you install panic hardware on balanced doors, a touchpad-style device must be used. The touchpad ought not to extend more than halfway across the door. Code requirements usually prohibit the installation of any other sort of lock on a door with panic hardware, except for electromagnetic locks released by a switch or sensor. At all times, anybody who has to leave has to be capable of getting an exit route door open from the inside - without having to use any keys or tools, and without knowledge of any specialized information.
The International Building Code (IBC), the International Fire Code (IFC), and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 101 Code are the most common fire safety and building codes in the United States. You’ll need to find out which code, and which edition of that code, applies specifically to your building. Local codes in your area may compel you to adhere to additional requirements. Make sure you’re fully compliant.
Installed on doors which open to the outside, panic bars are available in a variety of styles. Most are equipped with an alarm - preventing people who are exiting from avoiding paying a tab or stealing anything. Constructed horizontally or vertically, all panic bar door openers work the same way: When the bar is pushed, the door opens. The exact number of exit doors necessary, and the style guidelines you must follow will depend upon the height, size, and type of building, as well as its occupancy level and purpose.
Most people can’t concentrate when they are in a crisis, so it’s essential that you install all your panic bars correctly to avoid mishaps. Follow all regulations, and routinely maintain these doors. Properly installed panic hardware that keeps functioning smoothly makes all the difference in a life-or-death situation.
The existing requirements affect doors that either latch or lock. For example, you don’t need panic hardware on a free-swinging door with only a push plate or pull handle. The prevailing code requires panic hardware only for specific occupancy types. A property designated as “assembly occupancy” is typically a building or space where large groups gather, such as a theater, stadium, or gymnasium. An “educational occupancy” is a school for children, going up to the last year of high school. Property used for college classrooms is considered “business occupancy”; some college classrooms - serving as lecture halls, for example - are large enough to be classified as assembly occupancy. The NFPA 101 Code includes a separate occupancy classification for “daycare occupancy,” which is a place for daycare for children or adults. Finally, a “high-hazard occupancy” - a place containing a high level of hazardous materials - is an area at risk for explosions.
The push pad on a panic bar must be at least half the width of the door. When you install a panic device, follow the template included with the packaging to mark the door for where to put it. The template will tell you where to drill the holes and mount the hardware. As a rule, the center of the panic bar’s push pad should be at a standard height of 41" from the ground. This criterion can vary in daycare facilities and schools. When you attach the panic bar to the door, use only the screws from the packaging, so you won’t void the warranty. After putting in the panic bar, test the push pad to make sure it’s fully functional.
There are various kinds of panic hardware. Rim devices are installed easily, and call for minimal maintenance. The panic hardware with surface vertical rods is harder to install. There’s also a panic bar with a concealed vertical rod, which is more expensive and also significantly more difficult to install. How do you choose? Decide upon the panic bar required for each door based upon your building’s parameters, as we’ve discussed above. In most instances, it’s really best to hire a professional.
If your commercial property is any place in Marietta, Georgia, track down a reputable security expert such as a mobile commercial locksmith specialist on staff at KTB Marietta Locksmith, a person who will be exceedingly qualified to help you choose exactly the right panic bars for all your building’s evacuation doors.