The locks on the rear doors of some university-owned townhouses may compromise residents’ safety, according to student residents and an official in the D.C. Fire Marshal’s office.

Locks on many of these doors require keys to be opened from the houses’ interiors and exteriors, raising doubts among students about their ability to exit their townhouses quickly in case of emergency. University officials said the arrangement is essential to preventing forced entry, but students may have their key locks replaced with thumb latches at no charge.

“I’m concerned that if the front exit was blocked in a fire that we would have difficulty exiting the townhouse,” university townhouse resident Michael Desnick (COL ’11) said.

Herbert Taylor, a lieutenant in the D.C. Office of the Fire Marshal’s Code Enforcement Division, said the rear doors are part of the egress, or exit, system for the structure and should therefore be easy to open from the inside.

“They should be able to be unlocked from the egress side without the use of a key or special tool,” he said.

While the use of key locks on both sides of the door addresses a security concern, their use represents a life safety concern, Taylor said. The fire code is designed to address only these safety concerns.

Andy Pino, director of media relations for the university, said the key locks provide better security for townhouses than thumb latches do. Because there are windows in most of the doors, or the doors are bordered by sidelights – narrow windows beside the doors – the university is concerned burglars could force entry by breaking the windows.

“Some students prefer the type of lock which is operated by a key on both sides as they are concerned about someone breaking the glass to reach the thumb latch to unlock the door,” Pino said.

Students often arrange to store their keys close to the rear door for easy access in case of an emergency, Pino said.

Desnick said that he tries to keep his key with him at all times.

Dormitory buildings are subject to strict fire code standards, but townhouses are considered residential and do not have the same requirements, Taylor said. Fire department officials inspect residence halls to ensure that exits are marked, fire extinguishers are accessible and exit routes are clearly defined.

The townhouses are not inspected as regularly as dormitories are, Taylor said. In fact, fire code inspectors may not enter the townhouses without the consent of the owners – in this case, the university.

Caitlin Brokenshire (NHS ’11) said both arrangements have risks and benefits, but she said the root of the problem was the fact that the rear doors have glass panels. She suggested that the university eliminate the problem by installing solid doors so that intruders could not force entry by breaking the windowpanes.

“This needs to be addressed by the university as soon as possible,” Desnick said.

The Office of Student Housing declined to comment for this report. Karen Frank, vice president for facilities and student housing, was not available for comment. “