SDC - ACCESS CONTROL ELECTRIFIED MORTISE LOCKSET
by Richard Geringer

Part 1 - INTRODUCTION TO SAFETY CODE COMPLIANT ACCESS CONTROL

By the 1970’s, commercial building owners were looking for ways to provide security and access control for stairwell and perimeter openings. Unfortunately, this added security was in direct conflict with the contemporary building and fire life safety codes. These perimeter exit and stairwell doors were required to be unlocked from the inside to enable uninhibited egress at all times, even if the building was presumably unoccupied. Additionally, while the chaining of perimeter door exit devices was common, it was illegal. Better solutions were sorely needed. The search had begun for ways to comply with life safety while still providing adequate security for property and personnel safety.

During a visit to Sacramento, SDC president and owner Arthur Geringer, met with the California State Fire Marshal and asked him directly what attributes he would require to approve the installation of an electric lock for access control of perimeter and stairwell doors. Key elements included lock release without reliance of a spring and most importantly for stairwell doors, uninhibited egress ability at all times by manual means only by lever handle operation. With this information, Geringer went back to Los Angeles and designed the first two locks officially approved for locking the perimeter doors on commercial facilities, one for non-latching glass doors, and another for stairwell doors. One of these locks was the HiTower® Electrified Mortise Lockset for exit and stairwell doors. The product was so successful, that to this day, when specifying a lock for stairwell doors, whether SDC or another brand, they ask for a HiTower® function.

Today, electrified mortise locksets are used primarily for interior and high security failsecure applications, while elevator lobby doors, exit doors and stairwell doors maintain a strong niche for failsafe applications.

Recent Tragedies Effect Fire Life Safety Codes
High-rise buildings built after the mid to late 1970’s use SDC stairtower function electrified locksets for security to insure safe ingress and egress in an emergency. It has now been over 30 years since major code revisions and in many cities buildings constructed before the mid to late 70’s have been exempt from requirements for retrofitting these types locks on stairwell doors. Many older building had installed only standard mechanical locks that do not permit re-entry back into corridors from the stairwell.  Unfortunately, recent high-rise fires, such as the Cook County Administration Building fire in 2003, have resulted in injury and even loss of life due either code exemption or code non-compliance. Many fleeing the fire in the Cook County Administration Building died from smoke inhalation after getting trapped in a stairwell.  As a consequence cities are re-evaluating these exemptions, and have in some cases made changes requiring retrofit of electrified locksets with fire command centre release capability where stairwell security and access control is to be maintained.

Part 2 - SELECTRIC™ ELECTRIFIED LOCKSET APPLICATION
Today, 30 years after the introduction of the first HiTower lock, SDC has introduced a new high performance electrified mortise lock to accommodate even more access control applications than the HiTower®, including exit and stairwell doors. SDC’s new Selectric™ series brings more benefits and performance capabilities than previous electric lockset designs.

Code compliant SELECTRIC™ electrified mortise locksets stay latched even when unlocked, maintaining the integrity of fire rated doors in commercial and industrial buildings. This basic ability complies with U.S. national code requirements for up to 3-hour fire rated doors, including exit, elevator lobby and stairwell doors where electromagnetic locks and electric strikes may not be permitted for access control.

FACILITY APPLICATIONS INCLUDE: Commercial High-Rise Buildings, Industrial and Technology Centres, Airports, Transportation, Government and Military Facilities, Hospitals, Psychiatric and Rehab Centres, Museums and Universities.

Failsecure
Most electrified lockset installations are for failsecure access control. The failsecure SELECTRIC™ electric mortise lockset functions are ideal for interior high security applications, including entry access control only and entry and egress access control and mantraps.  For high profile installations requiring security with superior aesthetics, SELECTRIC™ electric locks eliminate the need for exposed and vulnerable locking devices, such as electric strikes, magnetic locks and REX devices. 

FAILSECURE APPLICATIONS INCLUDE: High security failsecure access control of interior doors, including offices, storerooms, communicating doors, laboratory and work centre doors and mantrap doors.

Failsafe
Unlike a *magnetic lock, the failsafe SELECTRIC™ 7850 function electrified mortise lockset is never locked from the inside and permits uninhibited egress at all times by turning the inside manual lever, also eliminating switching devices. When connected to the fire life safety command centre, the electric lock releases immediately in an emergency, transforming a stairwell or elevator lobby door from a one-way exit into a two-way exit. This permits re-entry and eliminates the possibility of stairwell entrapment and potential exposure to life threatening smoke inhalation. Additionally, fire fighters are permitted uninhibited access to all floors during in an emergency, speeding life saving and fire extinguishing efforts. These SELECTRIC™ electric locks eliminate the need for exposed and vulnerable locking devices, such as electric strikes, magnetic locks and REX devices. 

Operation For Exit and Stairwell Fire Rated Doors

1. Outside locked only when energized
2. The door shall be unlocked on the interior side at all times.
3. Unlock immediately upon building power outage 
4. Unlock immediately by signal (open circuit) from the fire life safety command centre causing loss of power. 
5. Uninhibited egress shall be by a single manual operation only, such as turning of an inside lever handle or by depressing an exit bar. Egress ability shall not rely on the use of any secondary request-to-exit or switching device, motion detector, exit push switch, or switch installed in a lock or exit device.

FAILSAFE APPLICATIONS INCLUDE: Fire life safety compliant failsafe access control of interior doors, perimeter exit, elevator lobby and stairwell doors and safety interlocks. 

*Misapplication Of Magnetic Locks And Electric Strikes
In reviewing recent trade publication editorials and conversation with installing dealers and systems integrators, it is apparent that after 30 years the misapplication of magnetic locks or electric strikes on stairwell doors still exists. Before this issue is addressed further, it should be made clear that like other companies, SDC also manufactures and distributes these products in addition to electrified locksets. Therefore, there is no additional financial incentive influencing the following code interpretation of stairwell door applications, other than to provide the proper product in the interest of the building owners protection from liability and public safety. 

Magnetic locks should not be recommended for use on stairwell or elevator lobby doors In lieu of electrified mortise or cylindrical locksets for several reasons. U.S. National codes have no provision for locking the interior side of stairwell doors at any time. When a magnetic lock is energized the door is locked on the interior and exterior. When using a magnetic lock, egress ability is based upon the proper installation and reliability of a secondary request-to-exit (REX) switching device (integrated or external), rather than the inherently safe manual lever egress operation of an electrified lockset or exit device. Under no circumstance should a wall mounted exit switch be used for stairwell door egress. This requires both prior knowledge and two actions to achieve egress, which may cause confusion during an evacuation panic, as apposed to the single natural motion of lever rotation provided with an electrified lockset. Some may argue the point here that a motion detector be use. Again, the door is locked on the interior and requires reliance on a secondary switching device and should it fail there is no means for manual egress. 

Electric strikes are not permissible on stairwell doors at any time. Failsafe electric strikes do not keep the door latched when unlocked, failing to maintain fire door integrity. Failsecure electric strikes are incapable of releasing during a power outage and due not release in an emergency. 

Code misinterpretation or approval of magnetic locks or electric strikes for misapplications described above by local inspectors may not qualify as code compliant or provide immunity from liable in a fire or other life threatening disaster.  

Part 3 – THE NEW SELECTRIC SERIES, WHAT’S NEW

SELECTRIC Pro™
The SELECTRIC PRO™ series features an SDC manufactured ANSI Grade 1, Heavy Duty electrified mortise lockset that retrofits most mechanical mortise lock brands and incorporates a proprietary clutch for lever vandal resistance. Also new and proprietary to SDC, all of the SELECTRIC PRO™ electric mortise lockset features are field selectable. Including: field selectable failsafe and failsecure modes; field selectable 12 or 24VDC operation; field selectable functions - locked outside only or locked on both sides; and field selectable handing. Options include door status, latched and deadlocked status and REX outputs. Two mounting holes may be required for SDC trim when retrofitting some competitive brand door preps, consult factory.

Specify SELECTRIC PRO™ for new or retrofit applications that require a full-featured lockset, application versatility, vandal resistance and flexibility for changing facility requirements.

SELECTRIC™ Conversions
The SELECTRIC™ CONVERSION series permits specification or direct replacement of competitive U.S. brand mechanical locksets. Select the lock brand of your choice and your distributor simply sends it to the SDC factory for electrification. SELECTRIC™ CONVERSIONS include Schlage, Yale, Dorma, Corbin Russwin, Best, Sargent, Arrow, Falcon, Cal Royal and PDQ.  What’s more, SDC’s ShipQUICK program ensures immediate shipment of select brands prior to arrival of your distributors replacement locks. All SELECTRIC™ CONVERSIONS incorporate field selectable failsafe and failsecure modes and voltages. Function and handing selectability is based on individual brand capabilities. 

Specify SELECTRIC™ CONVERSION for new applications where another brand lockset is preferred or retrofit applications where matching of existing locksets is required.

U.S. Code Compliance And Performance Listings
UBC, SBC, BOCA, IBC, IFC, NFPA 101, NFPA 1/UFC, California Building Code, Chicago Building Code. UL, CSFM and MEA Listed.

ELECTIC POWER TRANSFER HINGE
Installed in the centre hinge position of the door, PTH series electric hinge provides the concealed wires required between the door and the frame for the purpose of powering and monitoring access controlled electric mortise locks. Choice of 4-wire hinge for basic applications and a 10-wire hinge to accommodated remote lock status outputs, such as door, latch and locked/unlocked status. Unlike other electric power transfer hinges on the market, the new SDC PTH series power transfer hinge has been tested for 800,000 cycles, are UL 10B Listed and bare the ‘F’ mark for use on 3 Hr fire rated doors and are covered by a wire replacement warranty. 

SELECTRIC™ MARKET CHAIN BENEFITS
DISTRIBUTOR BENEFITS: Stocking requirements and investment is greatly reduced with field selectability of lockset attributes. The ability to fulfil diverse application needs is increased while the need to stock different voltages, functions, modes and hands is decreased or eliminated. Additionally, stocking distributors need not wait on delivery for combinations of attributes normally not stocked.
                      
INSTALLER BENEFITS: Selectability of attributes transforms locks to accommodate several different applications. With the exception of special finishes, no matter the function, mode, voltage or handing requirements the installer can accommodate virtually any application need with the same lockset for most jobs, delivery-lead-time and shipping costs are reduced or eliminated. 

END USER BENEFITS: Compliance with national building and fire life safety codes. The end user may choose preferred lockset or match brand of existing lock installations. Or, retrofit existing mechanical lockset with full-featured vandal resistant electric lock. High security is maintained with full monitoring and REX capabilities and compatibility with existing key systems is maintained. Lock flexibility enables conformity with changing facility security needs. When electric access control is no longer required at one opening, the lockset may be reconfigured to meet the requirements of a new access controlled opening. 
               
Note: SDC is not a licensee, or affiliated, associated or connected with Arrow, Best, Cal Royal, Corbin Russwin, Dorma, Falcon, Marks, PDQ, Sargent, Schlage, and Yale or any of their subsidiaries or affiliates.