Posted to PSA on

PSA: Do Not Use Padlocks to Secure Bars

Three days ago, during the festive meal of Yom Tov, a family of three was trapped inside their apartment as their building was engulfed in flames. In an act of quiet heroism, a man scaled the building’s fire escape and reached the apartment to release them, but he was impeded by a padlock – the key to which no one could find.

Boruch Hashem the family survived the ordeal, but the grave danger remains as most household use padlocks to secure the bars protecting their windows, porches and fire escapes.

A much safer alternative would be to secure these bars with a combination lock, such as the one pictured, and make sure that everyone in the family, as well as friends relatives and neighbors, is familiar with the correct numbers.

Additionally, please make sure that fire escapes are not cluttered or obstructed by any objects. They are meant to provide an escape route in the event of a fire – not for storage, and the difference can be life or death.

Related Articles

13 Comments

  • yes

    Good point but I have 2 such gates on my back windows & I keep the key on top of the window frame (the molding) & every day when I open the curtains I check that it’s there.

  • OT Student

    When i Was A Student in Oholei Torah, They Always Locked the Back Door/Fire Escape, for fear the the kids would “Escape” the Building. there is also piles of Garbage from the Kitchen blocking the exit from the back staircase. this is very dangerous. This happened by a fire Drill, and the stairs were backed up terribly. we were forced to go back up and then down the front stairs to leave the building.

  • IMPORTANT ADDITION

    the numbers should be covered with tape (or other rubbers etc.) as the weather can make them rust and then they are even harder to open then a key

  • eitzois

    You can also mark the numbers somewhere near the window (either covered with another paper or out of view of the windows). Also for key locks you can (and should) have the key located in the same room hanging on a nail or something (out of reach from the window of course)

  • Think of something better

    Also not a good idea bc when a fire RL is engulfing your home no one is calm enough to remember a combination number and correctly pout it in..

  • Fresser Rebbe

    BH

    to #4, why not write the combination in Hebrew, so then if you are robbed you will know that the Ganovim are Hebrews.

  • Lock

    A combination lock is a terrible idea, as children will not know how to use it, and even adults can forget it.

    The best idea is to use the locking mechanism that you find in apartment buildings, where there is no lock, just a lid that you can open from inside the apartment, but not from outside.

  • md

    Hang the key to the lock on the wall far enough from the window that someone who might want to reach inside cannot reach it. Then test the lock every so often to make sure the lock still opens. Master locks are good and don’t tend to jam. We got lock sets that have all the same keys so any key fits into any lock.

  • abe montreal

    when the room is engulf of smoke #1 you forget the combination
    #2 you can not see the numbers the room is full of smoke
    #3 (sometime you miss a ## instead of 8 you punch 7 for examp)
    # 4the # are rusty etc.etc.
    we should find another solution

  • RUST - check keyhole

    you must also check twice a year to make sure the key actually opens the lock – if it gets rusty it may not open even with the key. water and weather causes it to rust.

  • MD Firedoors Inc.

    Get an approved fire safety gate. They have handles that can only be opened from the inside.