UL’s ‘Close Your Door’ pledge may increase victim survivability during fire

UL’s “Close Your Door” pledge aims to increase awareness of a new preventative measure that helps increase fire victim survivability.

After a decade of research, UL’s Firefighter Safety Research Institute (FSRI) found that 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 1,000°F, while a room with a closed door had temperatures at only 100°F. 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,” explains Steve Kerber, FSRI’s Research Director. “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.

Publicizing new fire safety techniques for preventing fire spread is more essential today than ever, due the evolving fire environment. 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.