Views: 0 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 04-12-2025 Origin: Site
If you own a commercial building or manage a retail space, you are likely familiar with the heavy metal bar spanning the width of your emergency exit doors. Commonly known as crash bars or panic bars, these devices are a staple of modern building safety. Their primary job is simple: to allow people to leave a building quickly and easily during an emergency, without needing to turn a knob, twist a lever, or fumble for keys.
However, business owners often face a dilemma. The very feature that makes a panic bar exit device effective for safety—the ability to open the door instantly with a single push—can make it a liability for security.
Does a device designed for easy exit automatically mean easy theft? Not necessarily. While a basic crash bar facilitates movement, modern hardware offers sophisticated ways to secure a building against both external break-ins and internal shrinkage.
To understand how panic bars interact with theft prevention, we first need to look at why they exist. Following tragic historical fires where people were trapped inside buildings by locked doors, building codes evolved. Today, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the International Building Code (IBC) mandate that exit doors in assembly areas (like restaurants, theaters, and schools) must be equipped with panic hardware.
The fundamental rule is "single-motion egress." Anyone, regardless of age or physical ability, must be able to open the door by applying pressure to the bar.
This creates a perceived security gap. If a door opens easily, what stops a shoplifter from grabbing merchandise and sprinting out the back door? What prevents an employee from propping the door open to sneak inventory out later? Or, perhaps most concerning, can a thief outside manipulate the bar to break in?
The answer lies in the configuration. A standard, mechanical panic bar allows exit, but it doesn't inherently stop theft. To prevent theft, you must upgrade the specific features of the device.
Internal theft and "grab and run" shoplifting are the most common security issues associated with emergency exits. If a thief knows they can push a back door open and vanish into an alleyway, that door becomes a target.
Here is how you can configure a panic bar exit device to stop this:
The most cost-effective deterrent is noise. An alarmed panic bar is equipped with an internal siren. When someone depresses the push pad, a piercing alarm (usually around 100 decibels) sounds immediately.
This accomplishes two things:
Immediate Notification: It alerts staff and security that a breach has occurred.
Psychological Deterrence: Most thieves operate on stealth. A sign reading "Emergency Exit Only: Alarm Will Sound" is often enough to discourage casual theft.
For higher-risk environments, such as electronics stores or large retail chains, an alarm might not be enough. A thief might be willing to endure the noise if they can get away fast enough. This is where delayed egress comes into play.
When someone pushes a delayed egress panic bar, the alarm sounds immediately, but the door remains locked for a set period—typically 15 or 30 seconds—before unlocking. This delay is crucial. It gives security personnel time to reach the door and intercept the theft before the perpetrator can leave the building.
Note: Delayed egress devices are heavily regulated. They must be tied to the building's fire alarm system so that in the event of an actual fire, the delay is bypassed, and the door unlocks instantly. You usually need approval from your local Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) or fire marshal to install these.
While internal theft is a major concern, securing the building against intruders trying to get in is equally important. A panic bar is technically a "locking" device. From the exterior, the door is locked. However, standard devices can have vulnerabilities if not installed correctly.
The type of panic bar you choose impacts how hard it is to force the door open.
Rim Devices: These latch at the center of the door frame. They are easier to install but can be vulnerable if the door frame is weak or if a thief uses a crowbar to pry the door away from the frame/mullion.
Vertical Rod Devices: These latch at the top and bottom of the door frame. Because they secure the door at two points (ceiling and floor), they are significantly more resistant to prying and forced entry.
A common method criminals use to defeat panic bars is inserting a curved wire (like a coat hanger) through the gap between double doors or between the door and the frame. They attempt to hook the push pad and pull it, simulating a push from the inside.
To prevent this, high-security panic bars should be paired with:
Astragals (Security Plates): These metal plates cover the gap between double doors, making it impossible to slide a wire through.
Latch Guards: These cover the latch bolt area on the exterior, preventing prying or tampering.
One operational feature that often compromises security is "dogging."
Many panic bars come with a hex key feature that allows you to retract the latch and lock the push pad in the depressed position. This creates a push-pull function, effectively leaving the door unlocked. This is useful during business hours for high-traffic doors that don't need to be latched.
However, if staff forget to "undog" the device at the end of the day, the building is left completely unlocked. For strict theft prevention, consider installing fire-rated panic hardware. Fire-rated devices, by code, cannot have a mechanical dogging feature. This ensures the door always latches every time it closes, removing the element of human error.
No. You should never use a padlock, chain, or deadbolt on a door equipped with a panic bar if the building is occupied. Doing so violates fire codes and creates a life-threatening hazard. The panic bar itself is the lock. If you need better security, upgrade the bar's latching mechanism rather than adding illegal auxiliary locks.
Not all doors. They are typically required for high-occupancy buildings (Assembly Group A), educational facilities (Group E), and high-hazard areas (Group H) when the occupant load exceeds a certain number (usually 50 or 100 people, depending on local codes). Service doors or back exits in small offices may not legally require them, allowing for different lock types.
Yes, by default, a panic bar is always locked from the exterior. You cannot enter from the outside unless the door has specific exterior trim (like a lever or handle) that has been unlocked with a key. Without exterior trim, the door is exit-only.
Do panic bars prevent theft? The standard mechanical bar does not prevent an internal thief from pushing the door open, but it does lock out external threats.
To turn an exit device into a theft-prevention tool, you need to move beyond the basic model. By integrating alarms, utilizing vertical rod latching for strength, and considering delayed egress systems, you can secure your assets without violating fire codes.
Security is not about blocking the exit; it is about controlling it. When you select the right panic bar exit device for your specific needs, you ensure that your inventory stays on the shelves while your people stay safe.
