Parisian stores keep their doors safe and secure

Sep 1, 1997 12:00 PM, Staff

Door protection is subtle and effective at Parisian, a growing department store chain with headquarters in Birmingham, Ala.

A review of a typical Parisian store in Franklin, Tenn., near Nashville, shows how loss prevention and life safety can co-exist when it comes to protecting emergency exit doors. The same approach is being used at other new Parisian stores, as well as some existing stores that have been remodeled.

The Proffitt's-owned chain was founded in the early 1900s in Birmingham. In the past few years, the company has been expanding rapidly and now has 40 Parisian stores, located in the Northeast and Southeast and Midwest-from Livonia, Mich., to Indianapolis to Orlando, Fla.

A regional loss prevention manager for the company says there are two types of doors that require access control at the department store-emergency stairwell exit doors and employee entrance doors.

Stopping theft without compromising safety

The emergency exits present the greatest potential for loss. Since they must be accessible for emergency egress, they cannot be locked securely. Yet equipping the doors with a standard exit device would allow someone to leave with stolen goods undetected. Instead, the doors are equipped with Von Duprin Chexit delayed exit devices that sound an alarm and delay unlocking for 15 seconds to discourage improper use of the exit. The devices are integrated with the building's fire alarm system and will allow immediate exiting in case of an emergency.

The regional loss prevention manager says there have been no incidents of theft at the store through unauthorized door usage.

"I think it's a deterrent factor in itself," he says of the delayed egress devices. He mentions another company that has had losses from people taking merchandise and running out an exit door to a waiting car. In those cases, the doors were only protected by a conventional alarmed exit lock.

The store is also equipped with a comprehensive closed-circuit television (CC-TV) system by Sensormatic that allows a security officer at a control panel to zoom in on a specific interior door if an alarm situation occurs. Cameras outside the building complete the picture, with enough accuracy and zoom capability to read the license numbers of cars in the parking lot.

Restricting before-hours access

Another problem occurs in controlling access for associates who report to work before the store opens. Leaving a door unlocked would invite unauthorized use. Stationing a security officer at the door would be costly and impractical. Providing employees with keys can cause key-control headaches and possibly compromise security if keys are loaned or lost.

The Chexit devices were installed on selected doors to provide the same combination of security and life safety as on the emergency exit doors, but the addition of a keypad on both sides of the door restricts ingress and egress without setting off the alarm. From the outside, an associate enters a personal identification number (PIN) code that unlocks the door and disarms the alarm momentarily, allowing the person to enter. Closing the door reactivates the lock and alarm. From the inside, an associate wanting to leave also enters a PIN code to disarm the alarm and permit exiting. At all other times, the alarm is activated and the door remains locked from the outside, except in case of emergency.

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© 2008 Penton Media Inc.

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