For the park, see Washington Square (Philadelphia). Washington Square West is a neighborhood in downtown, or Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Electric Door Strike (image from bigasterisk.com) A better solution for door security hardware during a power outage is to use electric strikes. An electric strike is a mechanically operated strike that releases a door when the mechanical part is activated.
Electric strikes are generally available in two configurations: 1  Fail-secure. Also called fail-locked or non-fail safe. 2  Fail-safe. Also called fail-open. 3  A new trend is a strike that is quickly reversible from fail safe to fail secure (and back again if needed).