Best Security Products blog

It is a common fear many of us share: fire. Whether that fire happens at home or while we are at work or in another location, fire is tragically dangerous. Smoke inhalation, falling debris, being lost in darkness and unable to find an exit and being overcome with toxic gases are all examples of the horrible things that can occur when someone is caught in a fire.

There is good news, however, in the form of a simple act that may save your life: sleeping with your bedroom door closed.

Scott Friedman reports for NBC5 on this new research. We’ve pulled some highlights from the report for you; click the video below to watch the whole thing.

From the video:

Firefighters have long known that a closed door helps keep smoke out, but new research is showing how it also changes the flow of heat and toxic gases in a fire.

According to Underwriters Laboratories Steve Kerber, “If you can’t get out of your house, then the best thing you can possibly do is to get a closed door between you and where the fire is.”

It only takes about 3 minutes for a fire in the lower story of an open floor plan house to fill an upstairs bedroom with smoke – because that bedroom door is open.

The bedroom with a closed door, however, maintains clear air and some visibility.

The closed door also keeps out dangerous heat. While the temperature in a burning hallway can be 600 degrees, the temperature on the other side of a door from the hallway can be as low as 100 degrees.

When the door is opened, however, the room will fill with smoke and the temperature can quickly rise to 150 degrees.

“Even the cheapest, hollow core door may last up to five minutes before fire burns through it. And a solid wood door could last ten minutes or more,” says Scott Friedman.

Watch the video below:

According to Jeff Rossen (Today.com), the smoke detector you are relying on to keep you safe, may not be adequate.

He points out that just because the burning toast in your toaster causes your smoke detector to go off, does not mean that your smoke detector is super sensitive or giving you the protection that you need. The smoke from burning food is different from burning furniture. And in fact, in a real fire, your current smoke detector may not be activated in time to save you.

The most common type of smoke detector, used in 90% of homes, are inexpensive and easy to find and rely on ionization technology. These types of smoke detectors are designed to detect fires with fast flames. However, sometimes the most deadly fires are the smoldering, smoky types of fires, and ionization alarms do not work as well at detecting these fires. They either do not go off at all, or they go off too late.

Don Russell, scientist at Texas A&M has run hundreds of tests, and set up a special test at the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service. After placing 3 of the ionization smoke detectors in a room with a couch, the fire fighters ignited the couch in a smoldering fire.

Even after the room fills with smoke, the detectors do not go off until 36 minutes after the fire begins, and right before the couch is about to burst into flames.

Don Russell says this is way too late. He insists that you wouldn’t be able to get out of the room reliably if this were a real emergency.

The good news is that there is a better smoke detector available, that gives you better warning in these types of fires. It is called the photoelectric smoke detector. In another test, the photoelectric detector activated 17 minutes in with barely any smoke in the room.

Watch the full report by clicking the video below:

The take away message is that to be fully protected in your business or home, it is necessary to have both kinds of smoke detectors: ionization and photo electric.

At Best Security Products, we can help you with all commercial and home fire security and safety needs. Give us a call at 1-800–988–2378 sales@bestsecurityproducts.com
 

Whether you are protecting a business or your home, fire sprinklers can make a huge difference in the amount of damage caused by a fire. 

There are a lot of misconceptions around fire sprinklers. For example, some people believe that if you have a fire sprinkler system installed, all the sprinklers are activated at the same time. But this is not true. Only the sprinklers in the vicinity of the fire will activate when a fire breaks out.

The National Fire Protection Associationhere has recently released a report about the significant ability of fire sprinklers to protect both lives and property. When compared to fires that occur without sprinklers, sprinkler contained fires are less destructive and easier for fire fighters to contain.

Here is an excerpt from the NFPA report. Read the whole thing here:

Two recent home fires in this town had starkly different outcomes. Firefighters arriving to the first one reported heavy smoke and flames. They immediately performed an interior rescue involving a wheelchair-bound man and his daughter. Firefighters also had to rescue residents trapped on their balconies. During their efforts, a firefighter was injured and four occupants were transferred to the hospital. It took firefighters three hours and 24,000 gallons of water to control the blaze.

Firefighters responded to the second incident at a sprinkler-protected home. A single sprinkler kept the fire under control until the fire crews arrived. Fire damage was contained to the area of origin.

"The primary reason for the marked difference in outcomes of these two events was the presence of fire sprinklers," says Timo Juurakko, assistant chief with the City of Maple Ridge Fire Department. "No one can argue the difference that fire sprinklers make."¹

Considering the effectiveness of sprinklers to contain and control fires and to reduce property damage, doesn’t it make sense to protect yourself and your property with sprinklers?

At Best Security Products, we can help you with all commercial and home fire security and safety needs. Give us a call at 1-800–988–2378 sales@bestsecurityproducts.com

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