Fitchburg lock manufacturer eyes making schools safer
Salvatore Emma
The former CEO of Fitchburg manufacturer Micron Solutions is now working on a new device to help secure America’s schools. In an interview with WBJ, Salvatore Emma spoke about TeacherLock.
What is TeacherLock?
My wife is an elementary school principal in Worcester. It was shortly after the Parkland tragedy when I asked her what I thought was a simple question: How do you lock your classroom doors when a shooter is in the hallway?
For most schools in the country, teachers have to find a key to the door and go into the hallway to lock the door and then come back into the classroom. After doing a bunch of research on school shootings, one theme rang true: When there was a lock on the door that could be easily locked from the inside, shooters tend to move on.
As a matter of fact, the Sandy Hook Advisory Commission’s No. 1 recommendation was classroom doors should be provided with an easy-to-operate lock quickly locking down from the inside. While that sounds like a simple task, getting the right device that’s fire-code and building-code complaint that is easy and affordable was quite a difficult task. We set out and hired some engineers to build the lock that would solve the problem.
How does it work?
The device is mounted to the inside of the door. You walk up to the door with the activator, which is worn on a lanyard by the teacher. The activator is inserted into the lock, and then you push the lock; and the door is locked.
The lock is never available to a bully. While active shooters are rare, a bully can exist in the classroom 180 days a year.
We’ve sold many thousands of locks throughout the country. Today, the Utah state fire marshall approved our lock after reviewing all aftermarket devices.
How many schools have installed the device?
We’re on about 6,000 doors in a variety of schools. We tend to keep our numbers in doors. We’re in large districts and small districts. In some, we’re on four to five doors. In others, we’re on thousands of doors.
When did you start doing this?
We’re a new company. We had our first significant sale in August 2018. We’ve made some great headway, and we have a referral network of dealers around the country now. It’s for the right reasons, and it’s a great mission to keep children safe.
How is it made?
It’s made in Fitchburg. I have a small shop in the old Fitchburg Sentinel & Enterprise building on Main Street. We fabricate and assemble them there. It’s made of solid aircraft aluminum and stainless steel.
Why is this better than normal lock?
A small latch lock gives everybody control over the door. We don’t want kindergarteners or middle schoolers or a bully to throw the latch like you might find in a bathroom stall. We don’t want anyone to control the door other than the teacher.
With a key, it’s too slow and cumbersome and during an active shooter incident, your fine motor skills might not be as sharp.
What does it cost?
The MSRP is $219. Of course for larger districts, we can discount that. We generally do.
Does this device have other applications outside of schools?
We have another brand name for anything other than schools, like a hospital, called SaberLock. The way they lock down, everyone scurries to one safe room in the corner of the floor. We would be the first device to install on a patient room door to only be controlled by a nurse or hospital staff.
We can exponentially multiply the number of safe spaces in a hospital environment. There’s a market for it, and we’re after it big time.
This interview was conducted and edited for length and clarify by WBJ Staff Writer Zachary Comeau.
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Great product. Great company. Best all around device for the price. Very service-oriented staff who collaborate with the customer to ensure all needs are met.
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