This is going to be short. It's a simple message. "In case of fire: Close your doors!". At a recent fire in a Chicago high-rise, the door of the burning apartment was left open to let the family cat escape. That open door allowed a wind driven fire and super-heated gases to spread outside the apartment and down the common hallway. The hallway was an inferno, threatening hundreds of people. An innocent and unsuspecting woman lost her life in the elevator on the same floor. This is an extreme situation, but they're all extreme situations. Nearly all fire and smoke spread can be slowed by closing doors between rooms, hallways or floors. We teach kids in school to close the classroom doors when the fire alarms go off. Ask them. This is to stop smoke and fire spread. It's basic right? Put a lid on a flaming pan and it is contained for the most part. Often it will run out or air or fuel and die. It's the same concept, but on a larger deadlier scale. If that same flaming pan lights up the stove and cabinets. Call 911, try to extinguish it if you can; if not, get out and shut the kitchen door. If it's a basement fire, shut the basement door, etc. Many doors have fire ratings (i.e 30 minutes, 90 minutes or more). That's a lot of time for the fire dept to get there and put it out. Fire doubles in size every minute, so an open door is a sure fire way to add oxygen and fuel to the fire. Check out this UL Video demonstrating the flamibility of the modern room vs. a room 30 years ago. Make sure you include door closing in your home fire drills. Check out the U.S. Fire Academy Kids site for more info on home fire safety.
