UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute (UL FSRI) this week launched a national program aimed at enlisting fire service professionals in its “Close Before You Doze” campaign, which educates consumers about the importance of closing doors inside their home at night.
UL FSRI research reveals that during a fire in the home closed doors serve as valuable barriers against fire, decreasing the levels of smoke, heat, flames and CO, providing trapped occupants with better chances of survival while waiting for first responders. . People once had an average of 17 minutes to escape a burning home after the activation of a smoke detector. Today, that time has dropped to three minutes or less due, in large part, to open floor plans and synthetic materials used to build and furnish homes that burn more quickly than traditional materials.
To help fire departments share this important message UL FSRI has developed a portal with materials they can download and share with schools and others in the community. Fire professionals can access the portal at https://fireservice.closeyourdoor.org.
As part of the program, UL FSRI established a $100,000 national fund to help departments pay for printing of the materials. Fire departments can order the materials they need from the portal and FSRI will subsidize the first $250 of materials and shipping costs.
“Beyond the life-saving work fire service professionals do every day in fighting fires they are the most important educators in teaching the public how to protect against fire. We think ‘close your door’ should be an important part of their message,” said Steve Kerber, Director UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute. “Research clearly proves to us that when people go to sleep at night closed doors in all rooms in the house could help save their lives in the event of a fire.”
About UL
UL solves the safety, security and sustainability challenges of the 21st century. We empower trust and enable the safe adoption of innovation. To do this, UL tests, inspects, audits, certifies, verifies claims, advises and trains as well as provides software solutions. Around the world, our employees share a common passion for our public mission to promote safe working and living environments for all people. Our public charity, Underwriters Laboratories Inc., conducts independent research, community outreach, standards development and safety education. To learn more about us, visit UL.com.
About UL FSRI
UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute is dedicated to increasing firefighter knowledge to reduce injuries and deaths in the fire service and in the communities they serve. Working in partnership with the fire service, research departments and agencies, UL FSRI executes cutting-edge firefighter research and makes the results widely available to the global fire community. With a team of pioneering experts and access to UL’s leading infrastructure, equipment and vast knowledge and insights, UL FSRI conducts and disseminates cutting-edge research and training programs that focus on the changing dynamics of fires, and the impact they have on fire service tactics and strategies and public safety.
