Editing Emergency exit (section)

==Blocked exits==
{{Further|:Category:Fire disasters involving barricaded escape routes}}
[[File:Do Not Block Fire Exit.JPG|thumb|This exit is unlocked by pressing the bar, which will also activate an alarm.]]
Firefighters have cited{{Citation needed|date=October 2007}} overzealous security guards who told people during a fire that they are not allowed to use emergency exits. The practice is actually quite common in the absence of fires, as well. Some skyscrapers have stairwells with standard emergency exit signs on each door, which then lock upon closing. Users of these stairwells can get trapped if they do not know that the only door that opens from the inside is the one on the ground floor.

A further problem becoming very common in the US {{asof|2005|lc=y}} is that retail stores at night close one of their main entrance/exits through makeshift heavy metal barriers, signage, paper notes, or junk placed in front of the exits. Some actually lock their exits. A large array of signage and mechanical exit systems have also been devised, including signage that says contradictorily, "This is not an exit", "Do not use this exit", or warning users that a heavy penalty will be assessed for non-emergency use.

Some systems do not allow the exit to be opened until the user signals the intention to exit (through a button or lever) for some amount of time, such as 20 seconds. It is also common for these exits to remain completely locked until somebody tests them.

Some have alarms activated when they are opened, to alert staff of unauthorized use during non-emergencies.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.firesafe.org.uk/security-and-fire-safety |title= security and fire safety |work= firesafe.org.uk}}</ref>  On many exits, the user may have to push against a [[crash bar]] or other door opening device for a period of time to unlock the door. Many exits have a sign reading, "Emergency exit only, alarm will sound if opened", to warn of the fact that it is an emergency exit only.