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six-year-old fire alarm system installed by one of my readers was recently inspected by the local fire depart- ment. e building owner was told that the request-to-exit buttons on six exit doors needed to be replaced with pushbuttons that light up. e old ones were blue die-cast metal "Emergency Door Release" pull-boxes with a T-bar handle imprinted with an arrow and the words "Pull Down." e fire alarm system was approved initially, as well as every year since then by the local fire safety inspec- tors. e reader asks how the fire department can decide something is non-compliant aer approving it for six years. To answer, it appears there are two code issues at stake. e first involves a fire inspector asking for an update or change where no new work or change of occupancy has put the system back into play. If equipment is approved by the inspectors initially, and a year or more has passed, they are hard-pressed to suddenly disapprove the item. e second issue is the strict enforcement of the letter of the law. e applicable requirement from the Building/Fire Code section 1008.1.4.4 "Access-Controlled Egress Doors" only applies to entrance/exit doors con- trolled (allowing and not allowing the exit to open for egress). In other words, if the door hardware enables the door to be used from the inside – at any time and by anyone – to get out, then that section of the code does not apply. Mechanical retracting latch doors do not control exit use, and thus do not fall under this rule. Even if an elec- tric strike is used, it is not access-con- trolling the egress door. On the other hand, if an elec- tro-magnetic brick keeps the egress door secured, this section would apply. Any locking arrangement that prevents the exit door from opening from the inside to allow egress during business hours or when the building is open to the public is very much covered by the code. Here's a summary of IBC/IFC sec- tion 1008.1.4.4, "Access-controlled egress doors," which addresses entrance doors in a means of egress: • Outer entrance doors and entrance doors to tenant spaces in specified occupancies (A, B, E, I-2, R-1 or R-2) are permitted to be equipped with an approved entrance and egress access control system. • As part of the approved access control system, an egress sensor that detects someone approaching and unlocks the doors must be included on the egress side. e door must also unlock upon loss of power to the sen- sor or door locks. • A manual unlocking device located 40 to 48 inches vertically above the floor and within five feet of the secured doors must be included and clearly identified by a PUSH TO EXIT sign. Using the manual unlocking device results in direct interruption of power to the lock – independent of the access control system electronics, and the doors shall remain unlocked for a minimum of 30 seconds. • e doors must unlock if the fire alarm, sprinkler or fire detection sys- tem is activated, and remain unlocked until the fire alarm system is reset. • Finally, entrance doors in occu- pancies A, B, E and M may not be locked from the egress side when the building is open to the public. e blue exit release boxes installed at this site meet the requirements of the code noted above. Just because the devices have a pull-down handle instead of a pushbutton is not a factor; in fact, the use of a pushbutton is only implied. Where the ICC could have stated a pushbutton shall be used, the code only states it must be a manual unlocking device – it then goes on to use the term "device" instead of "but- ton" three more times. 46 Security Dealer & Integrator / www.SecurityInfoWatch.com June 2017 Fire & Life Safety BY GREG KESSINGER, SET, CFPS, IMSA, CDT, ICC Request to Exit Compliance How a code interpretation might lead to a mandated change in RTE hardware A Any locking arrangement that prevents the exit door from opening from the inside to allow egress during business hours or when the building is open to the public is very much covered by (IBC/IFC) code."