resources/DoorNumbering.pdf) from an organization called Center for Safe Schools (safeschools.info). The Center has very thoughtfully provided me (and you too, if you’re so inclined) much of the information I was looking for concerning door identification. Much of the specifications cited in their model for sign lettering, low-light visibility, sizing, etc., is derived from the International Fire Code (iccsafe. org/codes-tech-support/codes/2018- i-codes/ifc). Even the Center for Safe Schools wasn’t starting from nothing. Why reinvent the wheel when you don’t have to? Campus Police Input Essentially, this is a standard that will be maintained by Campus Police. I’m just researching and writing it on their behalf. Doing so without their input is virtually pointless. The fact of the matter is that they didn’t change a whole lot from the boilerplate standard I found online. I just had to confirm that they didn’t want any sort of ground-level indicator preceding any numbering (e.g. “LL” for Lower Lever or “G” for Ground). Additionally, we have a few situations where multiple build- ings are positioned very close to each other and connected by a hall or a link. The question that arose was whether we should consider them individual build- ings or one big building. Campus Po- lice wanted them considered one large building in these instances, which makes sense since the buildings in question are essentially managed as one big building by other offices on campus. My Own Fastidiousness Well, for those of you who know me, you already know how, um, organized I am. Some would call it picky. Some would call it finicky. Some would call it a mildly WWW.ALOA.ORG “Do you know the location and purpose of every door in every structure you enter? Me neither.” derogatory term not fit for print in the pages of a fine trade publication such as Keynotes. Regardless, I freely admit to be- ing highly organized almost to the point of compulsion. But when you work as an in-house locksmith, that’s not necessar- ily a bad thing. I have taken to heart the real estate mantra of “location, location, location.” I’ve skewed it to reflect my own needs, altering it to “standardize, standardize, standardize.” I pretty much have a form of some sort for every process in my of- fice: key records, vendor payment, key assignment, me actually having the au- dacity to take time off, creating purchase orders, etc. You want campus operational standards? I got them, too: master key assignment standards, building access assignment, supervisor master key box usage, temporary key assignment, hard- ware standards for new construction and renovation, etc. My point being that, for whatever rea- son, I am uniquely suited to creating standards, not exclusively because of my nearly 30 years’ experience in the secu- rity industry (although it certainly helps) but because I’m just good at it. Creating the door identification standard for our campus just falls right in line with a per- sonality trait of mine. Sometimes I just have to roll with it because of how my brain is wired. Highlights of Standards for Low-light Conditions Once equipped with the information I needed (and the oddly wired gray matter between my ears) I was prepared to cre- ate standards. Below are some examples of what I modified to suit the needs of the college. Exterior Number Sizing The Center says… All numbers should be the correct size in correlation with how far from the street (the building is): Structures up to thirty-six (36) feet away: numbers are a minimum of four (4) inches high and a minimum of one- half (0.5) inch stroke width If the structure is thirty-six (36) to fiſty (50) feet away: numbers are a minimum of six (6) inches high and a minimum of one-half (0.5) inch stroke width When the structure is more than fiſty (50) feet away: numbers are a minimum of nine (9) inches high and a minimum of one (1) inch stroke width I say… Numbers/letters shall contrast with their background and be of Arabic de- sign (Example: 1, 2, 3, etc.). Retro-reflective material shall be used for visibility in low-light or smoky conditions. Signs will be constructed from a du- rable, weather- and vandal-resistant material. Identification numbers will be a min- imum of nine (9) inches high and a minimum of one (1) inch stroke width. Exterior doors identified as “NO ACCESS” shall have wording with a minimum of four (4) inches. For the needs of Campus Police, as well as for clarity, I combined parts of two or three relevant sections in this one section. OCTOBER 2018 KEYNOTES 27
