Ridge Volunteer Fire Department

Department Facebook
 
Auxiliary Facebook


St. Marys County Fire/EMS Scanner Feed

Upcoming Events

There are currently no events
View All Events

2024 Incidents
January 22
February 14
March 18
April 28
May 25
June 28
July 27
August 27
September 33
October 22
November 24
December 3
Total 271    

2023 Incidents
January 13
February 17
March 20
April 17
May 15
June 26
July 23
August 25
September 26
October 23
November 16
December 18
Total 239

2022 Incidents
Jan 28
Feb 16
Mar 17
Apr 21
May 21
Jun 18
Jul 37
Aug 24
Sept 24
Oct 17
Nov 22
Dec 20
Total 265

Web Counters
Website Visitors
Since
January 1, 2016
5,459,589
Visitors Today
Dec 12, 2024
6,947
Close Before You Doze
Email Print RSS Facebook Twitter RSS

By Vice President / Lieutenant Scot Best
March 27, 2023

You know how important it is to have working smoke alarms, escape plans, and a designated meeting place in case of a fire. But, did you know that closing your doors in your home is also important for your safety? Closed doors can reduce fire growth and smoke spread, limit damage to your home, keep temperatures down, and can even save your life if you become trapped.

According to the Underwriters Laboratories Firefighter Safety Research Institute (https://fsri.org/) “Close Before You Doze” campaign (https://closeyourdoor.org/), straightforward actions and simple behavioral changes can provide critical help in delaying the spread of fire. This does not require major effort or going out and buying anything special. Simply close your doors.

Starting in 2008, UL FSRI began researching the effect of doors and windows on a fire’s spread. Bedrooms on the first and second floor of a home were tested during various scenarios. 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. This is a markable difference, in that a person could be alive in a room with a closed door much longer. Gas concentrations were markedly different as well. The open-door bedroom measured an extremely toxic 10,000 PPM CO (parts per million of Carbon Monoxide), while the closed had approximately 100 PPM CO.

US FSRI researchers recommend sleeping with the bedroom door closed. If there is a fire, there is very little time to react. Years of research has shown how much safer the occupants would be when they were behind a closed door. “If you are a parent with children in the home and that smoke alarm goes off”, advises UL FSRI, “potentially you cannot get to your children’s room because you’re cut off by smoke. If you close their door before you go to bed, if you’ve already put that safety barrier in place, then you know your children have longer to survive in that situation.”

Based on the research, ‘Close Your Door’ encourages those both trapped in a room during a fire, as well as those who can safely leave a home, to close as many doors as possible. During a home fire escape, many have the idea that ‘There’s smoke in my house, I need to let the smoke out.’ While, yes, you are letting the smoke out, more importantly, you are letting the air (oxygen) in. This is where the problem occurs. With the doors and windows closed, the fire will not have oxygen to burn and it is going to stay more contained. This gives others in the house more time to get out, and helps protect your property.


Things to remember:

FIRE IS GETTING FASTER - Because of synthetic materials, furniture, and construction, fire spreads faster than ever before. Closing doors helps stop the spread of fire.

MAKE A 900 DEGREE DIFFERENCE - Research proves a closed door can mean the difference between 1,000 degrees and 100 degrees in the event of a fire.

TAKE IT DOWN A NOTCH - During a fire, a closed door can keep carbon monoxide levels at 1,000 PPM verses 10,000 PPM when a door is left open.

TAKE A BREATHER - A fire needs oxygen to burn. A closed door keeps more oxygen in the room and away from the fire. When you exit a fire, make sure to close your door behind you to slow down its growth.

DOZE SAFELY - 50% of house fires happen between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. Closing your doors before you go to sleep helps keep you safe.

Hyperlinks: Underwriters Laboratories Firefighter Safety Research Institute
“Close Before You Doze” campaign
 

Add a Comment Add a Comment 0 Comment(s)


Website Designed and Hosted By: Content Proudly Maintained By: Contact Info:
Firehouse Solutions
www.FirehouseSolutions.com
Ridge Volunteer Fire Department, Inc.
13820 Point Lookout Road
P.O. Box 520
Ridge, MD 20680
Emergency Dial 911
Non-Emergency: 301-872-5571
E-mail: info@ridgevfd.org
Copyright © 2024 Firehouse Solutions (A Service of Technology Reflections, Inc.)