Fire Exit Locks Recalled After Failing to Open at Least 56 Times

Roughly 2,400 fire exit locks have been recalled in the U.S. because they fail to open, even after being pressed for 15 seconds, potentially trapping people inside during an emergency, according to a press release from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission on Thursday.

The locks, made by Shanghai-based company dormakaba are known as delayed egress locks and were installed by contractors across the U.S. between October 2019 and March 2021. While no injuries have been reported, the CPSC is aware of at least 56 incidents where the doors didn’t open when they were supposed to.

The specific model number being recalled is DE8310, which can be found on the inside of the wiring cavity cover plate, according to the CPSC.

“These locks detect when pressure is applied to a door and are set with a release delay of 15 or 30 seconds. The recalled locks include an internal or external alarm sounder, key switch for reset and override, and a building code sign for single out swinging doors,” the CPSC said in a statement.

“Delayed egress locks are typically used on perimeter exit doors and internal fire doors to discourage or delay unauthorized exit while providing a safe means of escape during a fire or other catastrophic emergency.”

The locks, made by the Shanghai One Top Corporation in China, have a firmware issue that can be fixed for free.

Anyone who has a recalled lock in their building is encouraged to contact dormakaba at 800-265-6630 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday. People can also email the company at DE8310.Recall@dormakaba.com or find the company online at dormakaba.us.

And what happens if you can’t get it fixed right away? I guess don’t play with matches around any oily rags for the time being. Or just work from home if you can, because dying due to an emergency exit refusing to open over bad firmware sounds like one of the dumbest possible ways to die. What a time to be alive.