Should Classroom Doors Be Locked During Fire Evacuation

A teacher posed this.

Should classroom doors be locked during fire evacuation.

Where the former advises opening doors to increase ventilation the latter typically recommends keeping them closed and locked to protect students from potential intruders. 1 school policy should be to keep doors locked at all times. Standard entry lock with push button or thumbturn. 18 2 3 4 and 19 2 3 4 corridors allows wheeled equipment in use medical emergency equipment not in use and patient lift and transportation equipment to be stored in corridors for.

Recom end that all classroom doors be locked during instruction if the door can be locked from the outside and open from the inside without a key. Office of the safety coordinator revised 10. Check the room lock the door and turn out the light make sure to check that you haven t left any students behind in the classroom. Easy to verify function of lock.

Clear all students staff and visitors from hallways immediately o report to nearest classroom assist those with special needs accommodations close and lock all windows and doors odo not leavefor any reason odo not open the doorfor any reason o if a fire alarm has been activated do not evacuate unlessfire or smoke is visible shut off lights stay away from all doors and windows move students to a corner of the room where they cannot be seen be quiet. Evacuation routes must be posted in each class room near the exit. Door chocks such as wood wedges or other makeshift hold open devices may not be used to prop open doors. Require local boards to review crime and disaster prevention designs when constructing or renovating a school building.

Openings into exits must have self closing fire doors that remain closed but not locked or automatically close at the sound of an alarm the door frame or hardware must be listed or approved by a national testing laboratory. Classroom doors must be kept closed. An exit route door may be locked from the inside only in mental penal or correctional facilities and then only if supervisory personnel are continuously on duty and the employer has a plan to remove occupants from the facility during an emergency. Exits can only have enough doors to allow access from work areas or to the exit discharge.

Easy to close doors during a lock down. When the adrenaline is pumping looking for keys inserting the key with trembling hands and locking the doors is problematic. At sandy hook elementary school the classroom doors could only be locked from the outside forcing teachers to walk out into the hallway and potentially into the line of fire in order to secure.