TO SAVE LIVES IN THE EVENT OF A FIRE, THE LA MADERA FIRE DISTRICT URGES RESIDENTS TO ‘CLOSE BEFORE YOU DOZE’
In response to fires engulfing homes at record speeds, The La Madera Fire District is working with UL FSRI to spread a life-saving message
Sandia Park, New Mexico (December 2018) – The La Madera Fire District is promoting the “Close Before You Doze” fire safety campaign, an ongoing public outreach initiative aimed at spreading this potentially life-saving message and helping keep family members safe in the event of a fire.
In partnership with UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute (FSRI), the fire safety campaign, which is based on research that shows fires are spreading faster than ever before, is designed to raise awareness and ensure that residents are as prepared as possible. Forty years ago, people had an average of 17 minutes to escape a burning home after the activation of a smoke alarm. Today, they have an average of three minutes or less due to synthetic furnishings, open floor plans and lightweight construction materials that can combine to accelerate the spread of a fire.
Chief’s Community Update
“Here at the fire department, we understand that closed doors significantly slow the spread of a fire,” said Joe Gober, District Chief. “As public safety professionals, it’s our job to deliver the Close Before You Doze message and make sure our residents adopt this potentially life-saving behavior.”
The Close Before You Doze campaign features a website that includes safety tips and resources, fire facts and other campaign-related news and information.
“Our research clearly shows that closed doors dramatically decrease heat and CO levels, which provide trapped occupants more time for help to arrive,” said Steve Kerber, UL Director of Firefighter Safety Research. “Closing your doors is especially important at night when people are vulnerable and disoriented, with little time to react. It’s such a simple thing to do, and the result can be life versus death.”
For more information, visit closeyourdoor.org.
About UL FSRI
UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute (FSRI) advances fire research knowledge and develops cutting edge, practical fire service education aimed at helping firefighters stay safe while more effectively protecting people and property. Guided by a global advisory board comprised of fire service personnel, UL FSRI investigates residential, commercial, and industrial fires through full-scale testing, field-testing, and modeling to replicate actual fires faced by firefighters. Research results are shared through interactive training courses that have reached hundreds of thousands of firefighters globally. To learn more, visit ULFirefighterSafety.org.
About UL
UL fosters safe living and working conditions for people everywhere through the application of science to solve safety, security and sustainability challenges. The UL Mark engenders trust enabling the safe adoption of innovative new products and technologies. Everyone at UL shares a passion to make the world a safer place. We test, inspect, audit, certify, validate, verify, advise, and train. We support these efforts with software solutions for safety and sustainability. To learn more about us, visit UL.com.