The Cost of Cutting Corners (or, How to Kill Everyone)

The Building Code is written in blood. Since the Industrial Revolution changed how we use public buildings, thousands of people have been killed by ineffective building designs and safety features. When a building owner chooses to cut costs by skipping on these safety features, they’re throwing these sacrificed lives in the trash, and needlessly starting over from scratch.

In 1903, the Iroquois Theater Fire in Chicago killed over 600 people. The fire broke out in the supposedly “fireproof” building during an overbooked showing of the popular musical Mr. Blue Beard. Some factors that lead to the high death toll include: not enough exits to serve the crowd, “false” doors which did not actually exit the building, locked emergency exits, and exit doors opening into the building. Carl Prinzler was one of the survivors of this fire (more on him later).

In 1908, a major fire destroyed the Lake View School in Collinwood, Ohio. 172 elementary school students died, along with two teachers and one rescuer. This new-construction school did learn some lessons from the proceeding disaster. All emergency exit doors opened outwards, allowing a panicked crowd to rush out without causing a “crowd crush”. However; the number of exits and distance between them was inadequate for the number of people inside. The exits were also abnormally narrow by today's standards, leading to the development of minimum exit door sizes, among other new regulations.

In 1911, the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire occurred. This major industrial disaster brought forth many changes in labor rights, workplace safety, and building standards. In the name of efficiency and keeping workers on task, management kept exit doors locked. A key was required to exit the work areas. When the fire started, these exit doors could not be unlocked in a timely manner, contributing to the deaths of 146 people. Today, it is illegal to lock an emergency exit door from the inside.

As a business owner, you have a legal and moral responsibility to keep your employees and customers safe. You also have a vested interest in keeping your premise secure. It is challenging to balance fire safety, security, theft prevention, and active shooter/terrorism preparedness. The Exit Device (panic hardware, crash bar, etc.) is a wonderful solution. Developed in part by Carl Prinzler, this device incorporates several important safety features to put to use the knowledge gained from the historical disasters. An Exit Device allows your outward-swinging doors to be securely locked from the outside, while they readily open from the inside. You can still control who comes in, while allowing everyone to quickly exit whenever needed. With this hardware, almost any door can become an emergency exit.

A proper exit device is an expensive set of hardware, and it must be installed with several building codes in mind. This investment and regulatory environment make this a bad candidate for DIY. Protect yourself and everyone in your building by using a dual-licensed Locksmith and Lock & Security Equipment Contractor. There are relatively few companies in California holding both licenses. JD Williams Locksmith Service is proud to be on this short list!

Uniquely, JD Williams has also served for several years as a volunteer firefighter. This combination of experience is invaluable for identifying and correcting all deficiencies with emergency exit doors, long before you have an incident at your facility. 

Don’t delay. A fire won’t wait for you to get your building ready. Your employees and customers deserve safety. Call today to schedule emergency exit surveys, exit device installations, and more.