On the heels of the National Fire Protection Association’s release of a School Safety, Codes and Security report earlier this month, in which the need for changes to codes, standards, procedures, policies and operational tactics relating to fire codes and emergency lockdown situations was called for, the State of Ohio has passed a new bill that prohibits the state fire code from banning the use of a barricade device on a school door in an emergency situation.
Under the new bill, the Board of Building Standards is required to adopt rules for the use of a device by a staff member that would temporarily prohibit the ingress or egress through a door in an emergency situation and/or active shooter drill. A barricade device will only be permissible if it requires minimal steps to remove it after it is engaged, and schools are required to provide in-house training on the use of the products. In addition, state fire codes are not able to prohibit the use of such devices. Until now, modern school safety training recommended teachers barricade a door with desks, bookshelves and other heavy items during a school intruder situation.
“We are beginning to see code changes being made around the country with regards to the restrictions on deploying these types of devices, and the latest bill passed in Ohio is yet another example of the recognition of just how important these barricade products actually are,” said Tom Crowley, President of The Bilco Company, manufacturer of the BarracudaTM intruder defense system. “Active shooting incidents can be over within a matter of minutes, so it is important we proactively equip our schools with a tool that will quickly and easily provide secure protection in an emergency situation.”
The Barracuda is a door security device designed to lock down virtually any commercial door in an emergency to protect occupants against building intruders. American-made, the product features heavy-duty steel construction and a durable powder coat finish. The free-standing device (not permanently attached to door) requires no installation costs and can be easily transferred between access points. The lightweight design allows the Barracuda to be deployed in a matter of seconds and the product is supplied with awall-mounting bracket for convenient storage.
For more information about the Barracuda, please visit www.bilco-barracuda.com.