In Compliance

Oct 1, 2005 12:00 PM

As part of a district program to improve the accessibility and security of its nine high schools, the Glendale Union (Ariz.) High School District has upgraded a series of exterior fire exits at Moon Valley High School with new doors and hardware. A security and safety site assessment evaluated the status of every door at the school and helped to prioritize the district's efforts to coordinate the upgrade with needs at its other schools.

The 60-square-mile district serves almost 16,000 students in the greater Phoenix area, including portions of Phoenix as well as Glendale.

It comprises nine high schools, grades 9-12, as well as an alternative school where returning students between the ages of 17 and 21 can obtain their high school diplomas. The first building was built in 1911, and the last construction was in 1975.

A district initiative

All of the district's schools have safety and security plans.

Although each high school has its own localized plan, all must include specific common features as required by district administration and local, state and federal agencies. Each school reviews its plan annually and creates updates as needed. While the school plans focus mainly on responses to various emergencies, a parallel program considers standards for the facilities themselves. As a result of a 1994 Arizona law that mandates equal funding to all schools, the Student First Board (SFB) implements the necessary action to prioritize upgrading of school facilities.

To help determine the security and safety needs of the district's schools, the SFB commissioned a security and safety site assessment through IR Security and Safety's Education Solutions. “They did the survey for the architect, Todd and Associates,” says Rick Wieferich, facilities supervisor. “We spent about two days walking around and logging the condition of every door here.”

Based on the survey, necessary upgrades were prioritized, and actions were budgeted and scheduled.

Accessibility upgrade

Moon Valley High School opened in September of 1965 with 565 students and 25 teachers. Today, it serves more than 1,600 students, with a faculty of 100.

One high-priority door problem at the school was a series of exterior fire exits leading from classrooms. Because they originally were built with a step, they failed to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines, and their hardware had reached the end of its life cycle. “All the openings had to be brought into compliance with the 1997 Uniform Building Code (UBC) and also meet ADA standards,” Wieferich explains. “Ramps were built for all the doors, and sweeps were added to seal off the bottom edges.”

Since each opening was different, every door had to be cut to the proper height. The Steelcraft metal doors are equipped with keyed Von Duprin 99 exit devices to provide emergency egress, as well as with LCN closers to ensure that the doors are closed and latched when not in use. The addition of the ramps made it necessary to remove the pivots on most doors and replace them with continuous hinges. Pairs of doors, where used, are equipped with astragals, as well as Glynn-Johnson coordinators and Von Duprin keyed removable mullions.

Administrator of facilities Michael Montgomery says that the upgrades are a part of a larger effort to ensure accessibility and security for all students. “It starts at the door hardware and goes all the way around the opening, if it needs to be fire rated or requires an automatic operator,” he says. “We even have to consider the equipment they are transported on and the curb cuts between the bus and the doorway as part of the total package.”

In this context, a comprehensive survey of each doorway provides valuable information on which to base upgrading decisions.

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