By: UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute Public Education Advisory Group: Becki White, Assistant Chief, Eden Prairie (MN) Fire Department; Nick Ledin, Firefighter/Paramedic, Eau Claire (WI) Fire Department; P.J. Norwood, Deputy Chief Training Officer, East Haven (CT) Fire Department; John Shafer, Chief of Training & Safety, Washington Township Avon (IN) Fire Department; and Sean DeCrane, Battalion Chief, Cleveland (OH) Fire Department
In today’s world, people expect everything to happen fast. A hot meal at the door in 30 minutes or less. Groceries delivered in a matter of hours. Coffee order ready for pickup at the push of a button. In many cases, speed makes our lives a little bit easier. But in the unfortunate event of a house fire, speed is making it significantly more difficult for people to escape their homes. And in many of these cases, that speed is fatal.
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The pace at which a fire races through a home has increased at a dramatic and deadly rate. About 40 years ago, people had an average of 17 minutes to escape a burning home after the activation of a smoke alarm. Today, that window has shrunk to about three minutes or less. Natural furnishings and building materials have given way to synthetics, which burn much faster. Combine that with the popularity of open floor plans and it becomes the perfect habitat for an escalating fire.
According to the National Fre Protection Association, there were 379,000 residential structure fires in the US in 2017. As a result, they saw 10,600 civilian injuries and 2,630 civilian deaths.
When conditions allow, this increase in speed must be confronted with an increase in our operational tempo – or more simply: fast fires need fast firefighters. But it also calls for residents to update their fire safety procedures. To help residents maximize their chances of survival during a fast-moving house fire, it’s important for the fire service to drive home the following safety measures:
- Close all your doors each and every night.
- Check all your smoke alarms monthly – make sure they’re in working condition. Install smoke alarms in every sleeping room and outside each separate sleeping area. Install alarms on every level of the home. Smoke alarms should also be interconnected. When one sounds, they all sound.
- If a fire ignites and you can get out safely, do so quickly and close every door behind you as you exit. If you can’t, put a closed door between you and the fire to buy yourself valuable time. Don’t ever go back inside a burning home.
- For parents worried about hearing their child through a closed door, simply place a baby monitor in the child's room. If you can’t get to their room because you’re cut off by smoke, know that the closed door will provide a safety barrier – giving them more time for help to arrive.
- Have an escape plan. Identify multiple escape routes from every room and regularly practice them as a family at various hours.
Each step is extremely important, but the first one – closing your doors every night – could have a lifesaving impact in the event of a fire.
UL Firefighter Safety Research Inst