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Chat with a firefighter at a site in Tacoma changed how I see hoistway doors
We were both stuck waiting on a permit inspection at a new apartment build. He mentioned how his crew's biggest delay in a rescue is often prying open our doors if the power's out. He said 'Your perfect alignment for smooth operation is our worst enemy for a quick pry bar.' It hit different because I'd never considered our work from their emergency access angle. Made me wonder if anyone's worked with local departments on door specs for easier forced entry.
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olivia_allen27d ago
And the thing is, those few minutes of prying add up fast when you're counting seconds on a fire. I bet most contractors never even think about it because they're too focused on making the door look clean and close quiet. Once you hear stories like that, it's hard to unsee a doorway as anything but a potential bottleneck. Even just leaving a small gap in the frame or using a certain type of strike plate could shave off a ton of time for the rescue crews. It's one of those little details that probably never comes up in a build meeting but really should.
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the_tessa1mo ago
My uncle was a volunteer firefighter in Spokane. He told me about a call where they lost over four minutes on a fancy condo door because the frame was all steel. That time adds up when someone's inside. It's smart to ask the local crews what they run into most. A few small changes in the build phase could make their job way less of a fight.
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ruby_rivera761mo ago
Yeah, that tracks. I've seen crews just wreck their gear on a door that looked simple. @the_tessa is right, a quick chat with the local station seems like such a no-brainer.
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