06/25/2022
The “Close Your Door” campaign aims to increase awareness of a new preventative measure that helps increase fire victim survivability.
A simple behavioral change, closing your bedroom door, could have a potentially life-saving impact. Tests showed that a closed door made a life-saving difference in case of a fire. A room with an open door showed temperatures over 1000 degrees, while a room with a closed door had temperatures at only 100 degrees. Research also showed that a closed door kept room conditions survivable longer than an open door.
A closed bedroom door provides a layer of protection between you and a fire, which is especially important at night when family members may be vulnerable, disoriented with little time to react. “If you can get out of a burning structure, get out,” “If you can’t, put a closed door between you and the fire to buy yourself valuable time.”
A closed door helps limit oxygen flow, which may help prevent a fire from growing. Consequently, when escaping a burning structure, it’s important to remember to close the door behind you to help limit property damage.
Forty years ago, victims had an average of 17 minutes to escape a burning home after the activation of a smoke alarm. Today, that time has dropped to 3 minutes or less due to evolutions in furnishings, homes incorporating more open layouts and lightweight construction materials, allowing fires to spread much quicker. With less time to escape a fire, it becomes of increasing importance to sleep with your bedroom door closed.
For more information refer to the following website:
www.closeyourdoor.org
