This photo shows the room where 3YO twins were located during a fire in their home.
Several months ago I posted about a new product that was getting a lot of attention; the product is called LifeDoor, and it is designed to close a door in response to the sound of a smoke detector. I am not affiliated with this product or company, but as most of you know, the protection provided by a closed door is one of my favorite topics. Quite a few people asked how they could purchase a LifeDoor unit (read on!).
In case you need a little background…many people don’t sleep with their bedroom doors (or their kids’ doors) closed, which leaves them vulnerable if a fire occurs. Until recently, there wasn’t a lot of media coverage about the impact of closed doors, but this is changing. Fires where closed doors had a positive or negative effect on the outcome are helping to educate the general public. If you’re one of the millions of fans of the TV show This is Us, you may have seen what happened when the Pearson family had a fire in their home. Underwriters Laboratories has created a website (CloseYourDoor.org) to teach people about sleeping with their bedroom doors closed. The news is spreading – finally!
Back in February, I saw several news stories about 3-year-old twin girls who survived a fire in their Everett, Washington apartment – because their bedroom door was closed. I had no idea that one of the creators of LifeDoor is a firefighter in Everett who saw first-hand the role the closed door played in that fire. The KIRO-7 news video (embedded below) explains:
And finally!…a Kickstarter has been launched to help bring this product to market. It’s almost 1/3 of the way to goal, with 25 days left. You can check it out here!
Or visit the LifeDoor website here.
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That’s awesome. The value of closed doors in a fire is frankly invaluable. The fire service now has plenty of data to show how even a simple hollow-core door can make a huge difference, but the challenge is getting people to close doors. For years we’ve tried to tell parents to teach their kids to close their doors at night, but the response is tepid at best. Even understanding the reasons can’t persuade many to make this a priority. Also, here in the Northeast, we use doors and windows as key components in our heating and cooling so closing doors can result in too cold or warm spaces. This product offers a simple solution. Of course the goal would be to get it into a mainstream price range for the masses. Either someone who can mass produce this will buy this up or the company will need to grow fast!
I signed up for one on Kickstarter.
My door stays open, and more concerned about when no one is home.
The National burned youth recovery agency, the Burned Children Recovery Foundation is glad to see this new device that will safe lives and prevent serious burn injuries to the children we help. We would like to discus how we can partner with Close Your Door to help get the word out to our 1000’s of national firefighters that support our children. Being connected to our burned children would help people realize the importance of their children’s doors being closed. Please contact me at burnedchildrenrecovery@gmail.com
Regards,
Michael T. Mathis
Founder
Burned Children Recovery Foundation
409 Wood Place
Everett, WA. 98203
Office: 1-800-799-BURN (2876)
Website: http://www.burnedchildrenrecovery.org
Hi Michael!
I forwarded your comment to Patrick Wilmot at UL, who has been working on the Close Before You Doze campaign. I’m sure he will be in touch, but just in case, his email address is Patrick.Wilmot@ul.com.
– Lori
Hi Lori
Have you seen the fireco dorguard DG2000
Thank you for posting this Lori and for the comments from the others.
No problem! I’m excited about this product and the lives it could save!
– Lori