Securing Detroit's Gridiron

Jul 1, 2003 12:00 PM

When the Detroit Lions opened last year's football season at their new Ford Field home in Detroit, they also opened the doors to better safety and security. The new facility incorporates a range of door hardware to manage visitor traffic and maintain security, and a two-level key system ensures security for each location.

The 65,000-seat stadium opened in August 2002. It is part of a 1.85-million-square-foot, $500 million complex that includes four levels of suites, a level of club seating, and a ground level with restaurants, concessions and retail. The design incorporates the old Hudson's warehouse, built in the 1920s, and a glass wall providing a view of the Detroit skyline. In addition to Detroit Lions football games, Ford Field plays host to other sporting events, concerts, banquets, consumer shows, trade shows, business meetings and conventions. The Super Bowl will be held at the stadium in 2006.

“At first, about 60 percent of visitors came in through the Gate A,” explains Bob Gardner, Ford Field's facility engineer. “Our other main gates are B and C, which handled about 15 percent, and other gates were used by the media and suite holders. As people are becoming acclimated to the other gates, they are finding shorter routes to their seats, thus distributing the traffic more evenly.”

As with any sports facility, the chaos of a crowd arriving at once is exceeded only by an even greater rush of fans leaving when the game ends. For this reason, each entrance has a large number of doors equipped with Von Duprin 99 Series exit devices. Gardner says all doors are closed during game periods, but allow free egress while minimizing wear and abuse. When no events are scheduled, the multiple openings are locked to control the perimeter, although the exit devices permit safe exit in the event of an emergency.

Two Levels of Key Control

The facility uses two separate key systems. Areas requiring higher security, such as liquor storage and exterior doors, use the Schlage Primus system. For other interior doors, the Schlage Everest Key system is used. Gardner explains: “We wanted separate key systems to prevent crossover in case a key ever gets lost or stolen.” A large public facility such as Ford Field — with hundreds of possible users and continual personnel changes among vendors and other tenants — requires the extra layer of security.

Entrances to stairwells, restrooms, mechanical rooms and similar areas are equipped with Steelcraft doors, with two-hour fire ratings in areas required by code. Some glass doors, such as those leading to the Club Level, use floor locks with Schlage Everest SFIC (small format interchangeable core) cylinders.

Corridor and service doors, such as those leading to a pantry serving the Club Level, are equipped with electromagnetic hold-opens to release automatically if the building's fire/smoke alarm system is activated, thus allowing the LCN closers to shut the doors.

Other security measures include more than 73 pan-and-tilt color CCTV digital cameras, as well as around-the-clock security staff. The facility recently opened its doors to the retail and restaurant area for lunch on a daily basis; however, the stadium bowl and other areas are closed off by roll-down gates. Everyone must enter through the main gate, which is manned by security guards, helping to keep the public confined to proper areas.

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