Panic Bar Installation For Commercial Properties Why It Is Necessary

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In a chance where you happen to be in a large commercial building, a school, a military base, or even a mall, there is a good chance that on one of your point of entry or exit, there was a panic bar fitted on the door. A panic bar is also known as a crash bar. As a business property owner, when you have a commercial locksmith in Portland do a panic bar installation on some of the doors around the property, the benefits will outweigh the cost anytime in case of an emergency. A panic bar is actually a metal bar that is spring loaded and set horizontally on the interior side of a commercial door. Once the bar is pressed, the door will unlatch which in turn allow an easy way out of the property in case of an emergency.

The requirement of panic bar installation on a commercial property

Before getting into the benefits of having a panic bar installation done on your business property, it is important to understand why panic bars are crucial for commercial properties. Imagine yourself a situation where there is an emergency incident in a large and crowded commercial property where people would flee to the exit doors. In such case, not having proper emergency hardware such as the right type of commercial doors, commercial door closers, and panic bar devices, could potentially result in a disaster.

Think about it like this, Let just say you have a large group of people heading towards the exits, then one of the people in front has to stop, turn a door knob and open the door, that is critical time wasted during an emergency and a potential for injuries, jam of people at the exists and a complete mess during the evacuation.

Panic bar installation

The benefits of having a panic bar installed

So now that we covered the importance of panic bar installation on commercial property doors and how they operate, let’s review some of the benefits of such devices –

Keep the property safe – The most important benefit a panic bar provides is safety both in an emergency type situation of evacuation as well as situations that are not emergency. For example, since the panic bars are always installed on the interior side of the door, the doors will stay locked from the outside at all times in order to avoid any entry to the property of unauthorized individuals. Additionally, panic bar installation can also come with the addition of an alarm system, so that security managers can track any unauthorized use of the emergency exit doors. To ensure the panic bars are working correctly, they should be installed only by a professional locksmith Portland technician.

Wide range of selection – A panic bar will not come in just one form. Typically, a panic bar will come in a wide range of different make and models that you can choose from. Examples of different types of panic bars with different features include panic bars equipped with an alarm system, cross bar panic bars, and vertical exit devices. Prices for different panic bars will vary as well as the labor for panic bar installation. That way, you as a property owner can discuss with the locksmith on a panic bar that will fit the security requirements of your property as well as budget.

Affordable pricing points – When comparing the cost of replacement commercial doors, and other types of commercial locksmith services, panic bars can be fairly reasonable priced. The high end models will most likely cost close to a $1000, but the basic models would only be couple of hundreds. The more panic bar installation is needed, the better deal a commercial locksmith will be able to offer.

Insurance rate discounts – As a business owner, you always look for different ways to improve the security and safety of the property. However, there is always a certain budget that needs to be met even when it comes to the security and safety of the property. When it comes to panic bar installation, that could be a positive aspect. When you have a professional installation of hardware that potentially increase security and safety of a commercial property, it will normally help decrease insurance rates. Much like the way it works with automotive insurance regarding security features, the same apply for commercial property insurance plans as well.

While panic bar installation is a good start to keep your commercial property safe, secure and saving some money on your insurance plan along the way, it should not end there. There are other ways that would help you make the property safer and save even more on your insurance rates. Smoke alarms, CCTV, proper lighting, handy fire extinguishers, smoke alarms and carbon detectors are just some of the other things you can add or ensure that you already have in order to reap some more benefits.

The effectiveness of panic bars – So we covered the importance and value of panic bars in a commercial property environment, it is also important to mention their effectiveness. After all, if they weren’t so effective, they would not have been regulated to use on commercial properties. Think about different emergency type situations that can occur in a closed building. Incidents like fire or a flood that can potentially be a disaster without a proper way for an evacuation.

These types of situation can result in a tragedy if panic bars are not present on emergency exit doors intended for an emergency evacuation. Normally, during an emergency, people should always try to stay calm and evacuate in an organize matter. However, when a situation like fire happens, the first instinct that people get is panic. That is why panic bars help in these type of scenarios to allow for an easier and faster way out of the property even in disorganized fashion.

Portland locksmith panic bar installation

Commercial property assessment

Normally, it is a requirement for many types of commercial properties to have panic bars on emergency exit doors. That is why, it would be of your best interest to have a professional locksmith in Portland do an assessment on the entire property. A properly conducted assessment would reveal if the right doors are equipped with panic bars, or there may be other exit doors that would benefit a panic bar installation more. For more information about panic bar installation, feel free to contact us Advantage Locksmith Portland with any questions or to set up an appointment.