by Erie Insurance
According to firefighters, every second counts during a fire. In fact, house fires can double in size every minute that goes by. About half of home fire deaths happen between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. when most people are sleeping.
But here’s the good news: There’s a simple step you can add to your nighttime routine to keep you safe.
Research from Underwriters Laboratories Firefighter Safety Research Institute (FRSI) shows that closing your bedroom door helps prevent a fire from spreading, lessens smoke damage and could even save lives.
Just like having the right homeowners insurance, a little preparation can go a long way to help you rest easy. Watch this video to see why it matters to “Close Before You Doze”.
Here’s why it works: The more oxygen a fire has, the quicker it will spread. Keeping your bedroom door closed has been proven to slow the spread of a house fire. Additional benefits include reduction of toxic smoke levels and lower levels of heat inside the bedroom. It is important to note – within 60 seconds of a fire starting, ceiling temperatures can reach over 1,000° F.
Having the right kind of fire extinguisher nearby can also help. But when it comes to fire-related deaths, it’s usually not the flames that are to blame. Smoke and heat are actually more likely to cause suffocation and death.
Why Should You Sleep With the Door Closed?
When a door is closed during a fire, a person in that room experiences:
- More survivable temperatures: Temperatures typically stay below 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Livable oxygen levels: Oxygen levels read around 18%. (For comparison, regular room air is about 21% oxygen.)
- Less toxic carbon monoxide levels: Close to 100 parts per million (PPM) of carbon monoxide (CO).
When a door remains open during a fire, a person in that room is exposed to:
- Less survivable temperatures: Temperatures can get hotter than 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Low oxygen levels: Oxygen levels can decrease to 8%, making it harder to breathe.
- Extremely toxic carbon monoxide levels: Dangerous levels can increase to 10,000 PPM of CO.
At McCollum Insurance Agency in Newtown Square, Pennslyvania we are always happy to help the people in our local community find the best home insurance protection at the lowest price. Call us anytime for more information.