S.C. company offers bulletproof, fireproof doors for schools
LADSON, S.C. (WCSC) - A South Carolina company is launching bulletproof and fire-resistant doors as a new safety measure for some schools.
R2P Innovations demonstrated new bullet-proof and fire-rated doors to law enforcement with the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office and Summerville Police Department, along with parents, on Wednesday morning.
Dorchester County Sheriff Sam Richardson called them a “game changer” as they can change law enforcement protocol in a potential school shooter situation.
Leaders say the 250-pound unsuspecting doors have the potential to give parents peace of mind when sending their students to school. The doors, along with bulletproof windows, withstand bullets up to semi-automatic rifles.
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The door’s price tag depends on the custom preferences of the school buildings. Leaders say they can range from $10,000 to $10,500, depending on door types. Hardware additions can add at least $15,000 to the bill.
The doors are not currently installed in public schools. Mount Pleasant’s private Christ Our King-Stella Maris School is one of the few schools with the new doors installed. The school installed the doors in the summer of 2024 before the start of the school year.
The school’s president, John Byrnes, says the addition is a change to show how the doors work in school environments, as the goal is to always make school as safe as they can
“To be able to show, here’s what you do, here’s how it’s gonna work,” Byrnes says. “So you get to see not just the ballistic side of it, but how does it fit in a school environment to make sure it’s not too intrusive that it’s not going to scare the kids.”
Byrnes says their door installations are a part of a two-phase project to provide exterior and interior protection.
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“With the bullet-proof doors, we thought that was a nice addition to have another layer to be able to do it. We thought first, do the exterior doors so you keep the ‘bad-guys’ out, so to speak. And then we started with the inside doors after that, and with Phase One, we got several of the classrooms done, and we’re waiting to start Phase Two to be able to move to the next level,” he said.
R2P Founder and Chief Executive Officer Tony Deering began looking into creating the first of its kind classroom doors 12 years ago. Deering says the measure is a long-term solution that provides a barrier to protect students and teachers from school shooter emergencies.
“As we’ve seen time and time again, whether it be Sandy Hook, Parkland or Uvalde, if these doors had been in place, and the teacher would have been behind a locked door that was impenetrable to gunfire, we would have saved the lives of many, many children. It’s most important.”
Leaders say the goal is for Charleston County to set the stage when it comes to getting the doors in schools. Deering suggests that parents reach out to elected officials in order to provide the funding that makes the doors a reality for classrooms.
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