Why a Closed Door Can Save Lives During a Fire

5/3/2022 (Permalink)

A Closed Door Can Save Lives During a Fire

Fire officials say that closing the door can be one of the most critical actions people can take to stop the spread and save lives when confronting a fire.  Closing doors can cut off the pump, slowly starving a fire of much of that fuel. It can also provide one of the most effective barriers to temporarily inhibit the spread of flames and smoke, giving firefighters crucial time to respond.

FSRI research on fire service horizontal ventilation began in 2008, and analyzed the effect of doors and windows on a fire’s spread. Bedrooms on the first and second floors of a home were tested during the scenario. Using thermal imaging cameras, researchers found that closed-door rooms on both floors during the fire’s spread had average temperatures of less than 100 degrees Fahrenheit versus 1000+ degrees in the open-door rooms.

The Close Before You Doze public fire safety education program comes because of over a decade of research conducted by UL’s Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI). After proving that a closed-door could potentially save lives in a fire, FSRI has committed to sharing this finding with the world.

Practice, practice, practice… Families do the drill.

Put one adult in charge of sounding the smoke alarm and running the drill. Next, sound the smoke alarm, start the timer, and have everyone book it to the safety spot. Once everyone gets to the safety spot, stop the timer. If you all made it in under two minutes, you each get an imaginary gold medal.