At School Safety Solution, we’re proud of the reputation we’ve been able to earn over the years as a leading provider of classroom and business security products. We know that the safety of your students and staff is of the utmost importance. To help protect them, we aim to provide organizations across the country with access to some of the highest-quality safety products available.
With recent events sending a strong warning to schools and businesses to revamp their security systems and hardware, you may begin assessing what systems and procedures you currently have in place. You don’t have to wait until the beginning of a new school year to upgrade your security features. In this post, we’ll cover 8 different types of active shooter door-locking devices on the market today.
Types of Door Security Devices
When it comes to outfitting your building with the best safety features, it helps to understand the options available on the market. Comparing different active shooter door-locking devices is a great first step. As you’re reviewing your options, keep in mind that active shooter door-locking devices should:
- Offer rapid response and quick engagement in the event of a potential threat
- Be sturdily designed to withstand forced entry attempts and deter intruders from gaining access to classrooms and other protected areas
- Be easy to activate and intuitive to understand for teachers and staff
- Meet compliance and regulatory standards in your state in regards to building safety
8 Best Active Shooter Door Locking Devices
1. Door Closer Barricades
What it is: Sometimes called the “sleeve,” this is a low-tech safety option that stops an outward-swinging door from opening against a force of up to 500 pounds.
Top pros: easy to install; quiet.
Top con: door closer barricades only work on outward-swinging doors.
2. Door Security Bars
What it is: Sometimes called the “burglar bar,” the door security bar hinges on a door knob and sends any resistance from an attempted door opening into the bottom of the bar, where it meets the floor.
Top pros: easy to install; quiet.
Top cons: can break easily when force is applied; can be deactivated with a pin; only usable with inward-swinging doors.
3. Door Lock Reinforcement Plates
What it is: Door lock reinforcement plates are small metal plates installed on the latch of your doors. Intended to strengthen the door’s latch, they are often applied on older, wooden doors.
Top pros: inexpensive; doesn’t need to be “activated” to use.
Top cons: not as sturdy as other options, not building/fire code compliant in many areas.
4. Deadbolts and Mid-Mount Barricades
What it is: A deadbolt is a metal arm that slides into the frame of a door to secure a door through an extra locking mechanism. Mid-mount barricades are similar devices, but are only accessible from the inside of a door.
Top pros: sturdy; can withstand force.
Top cons: not building/fire code compliant in many areas; deadbolts need a key to unlock the mechanism from inside or outside the door.
5. Door Jammers
What it is: A security device that is wedged in the space between the door and the floor in order to prevent forced opening.
Top pros: easy to install and remove; quiet.
Top cons: only reinforces the bottom of a door, leaving the middle and upper portions vulnerable to breaking.
6. Door Lock Reinforcement Plates
What it is: Door lock reinforcement plates are small metal plates installed on the latch of your doors. Intended to strengthen the door’s latch, they are often applied on older, wooden doors.
Top pros: inexpensive; doesn’t need to be “activated” to use.
Top cons: not as sturdy as other options, not fire code compliant in many areas.
7. The SafeBolt
What it is: The Safebolt Barricade Lock activates with the press of a button and is designed for simplicity, speed, and effective safety in the event of a lockdown. With such a simple activation method, teachers can deploy the lock instantaneously, then focus on sheltering or evacuating students. Similar to the TeacherLock, Safebolt is code compliant, easy-to-install, and reliable.
Pros:
- Compliance with all life safety and ADA codes
- Easy deployment: no lock or activator required; pressing the red button deploys the bolt in under one second
- Easy installation: the Safebolt lock mounts directly over existing locksets for accurate installation.
- Staff and first responders have keyed access from the outside via standard or high security rim cylinder, depending on preference. Inside the classroom, one simple turn of the door handles retracts the bolt and latch.
- A 1-inch locking bolt, made of heavy stainless-steel
- Once the bolt is activated, a high visibility deployment indicator ensures that occupants know the door is bolted
8. The TeacherLock
What it is: The TEACHERLOCK™ and TEACHERLOCK II™ are internal locks that allow teachers or other building staff to never face the need to exit the classroom to lock doors in the event of a security threat. Only individuals who are authorized can lock the door from the inside, and the door can only be unlocked from the outside using a special key. The special key can be supplied to other teachers, security personnel, or administrators.
The TEACHERLOCK and TEACHERLOOCK II deploy a durable bolting mechanism within seconds in the event of an emergency. While being incredibly effective, they also remain relatively discrete – helping keep the environment of the classroom a happy one.
Pros:
- Compliance with International Building Code, ADA, and NFPA Life Safety guidelines
- Cost-effectiveness, perfect for a range of school budgets
- Easy installation on any door
- Bullyproof: only individuals with a small activator can trigger the lock. This activator gives control to a specific individual, the teacher. Some alternative door locks can be accessed by anyone, moving control from the teacher alone to the students.
- Fast deployment: the lock bolts within seconds, utilizing an activator. Because the teacher does not have to bend over or kneel, deployment is efficient, effective, and ergonomic.
- Accessible by emergency personnel from the outside
Emergency Bleed Control Training: A Perfect Complement to your Physical Safety Measures
As you’re revamping your school's physical security measures, consider Stop the Bleed Training for your teachers and staff. Stop the Bleed Training is a preparedness course wherein adults are instructed in life-saving techniques for quickly stopping bleeding before mass quantities of blood are lost. After completion of Stop The Bleed Training, you can purchase bleeding and trauma response kits for your school.
At School Safety Solution, our Stop the Bleed kit is unique: it includes the only tourniquet on the market that can be used effectively on the small limbs of children. Our tourniquet is also the only available of its kind with an automatic counting timer that does not require batteries.
School Safety Solution: Your Partner for Comprehensive Building Security
At School Safety Solution, our mission is to empower you with the right tools to provide efficient protection in emergencies. In addition to emergency door barricades, we provide lockdown shades, classroom door locks, and other safety products for schools, non-profit organizations, office buildings, and medical facilities.
To learn more about our customizable safety solutions, request a quote or get in touch today at (888) 733-0406.