EACH YEAR MORE THAN THREE-
THOUSAND PEOPLE ARE KILLED IN
RESIDENTIAL FIRES IN THE UNITED
STATES.
(LAUREN)
BUT THERE'S ONE THING
FIREFIGHTERS SAY YOU CAN DO THAT
COULD DOUBLE, IF NOT TRIPLE THE
TIME YOU HAVE TO ESCAPE AND
SURVIVE A FIRE.
NINA CRISCUOLO HAS MORE ON THIS
PRACTICE AFTER SUITING UP WITH
THE WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP FIRE
DEPARTMENT HERSELF FOR A
LIVE BURN EXPERIMENT.
(NINA)
THIS PIECE OF FIRE SAFETY
DOESN'T COST YOU A THING... YOU
DON'T
HAVE TO CHECK THE BATTERIES...
AND IT'S ALREADY INSTALLED IN
YOUR
HOUSE. IT'S A DOOR.
AND CLOSING IT COULD BE
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFE AND
DEATH IF A FIRE OCCURS.
(NINA)
IT'S A NIGHTMARE...YOUR HOME
GOING UP IN FLAMES IN THE
MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT....
THAT'S PAM PRICE ON THE PHONE
WITH DELAWARE COUNTY
DISPATCHERS AS SHE AND HER
HUSBAND TOM WERE TRAPPED IN
THEIR MUNCIE HOME.
38 MINUTES... THAT'S HOW LONG
THEY WERE INSIDE THE HOME BEFORE
RESCUE... THAT'S THREE TIMES
LONGER THAN FIRE EXPERTS BELIEVE
RESCUE... THAT'S THREE TIMES
LONGER THAN FIRE EXPERTS BELIEVE
HUMANS CAN SURVIVE A FIRE... BUT
A CLOSED DOOR MADE THE
DIFFERENCE.
(( / : 01:13:50:08
THE LEAST YOU CAN DO IS KEEP
YOUR DOOR CLOSED, ))
JOHN SHAFER A FIREFIGHTER IN
AVON IS PASSIONATE ABOUT
THIS MESSAGE. HE'S BRIEFING
CREWS ON AN EXPERIMENT OUR
CAMERAS ARE ABOUT TO CAPTURE IN
THIS HOME, SET TO BE
DEMOLISHED FOR ROAD
CONSTRUCTION.
(( / : 01:17:42:16
STANDUP: LET ME GIVE YOU A
LITTLE TOUR OF THE HOME AND
WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN. THE FIRE
WILL START HERE IN THE
TRASH CAN AS IF A CIGARETTE WENT
IN STILL LIT. WE HAVE TWO
BEDROOMS, ONE HERE, WHICH WILL
BE THE MASTER BEDROOM AND THE
DOOR WILL REMAIN OPEN THEN
THERE'S ANOTHER BEDROOM ON THIS
END WHERE THE KIDS WOULD
BE SLEEPING AND THIS DOOR WILL
BE CLOSED. 01:18:03:01
01:18:25:00
WE HAVE SEVERAL CAMERAS TO
MONITOR THE FIRE AND I'LL BE IN
THIS ROOM. 01:18:30:05))
(( / : 01:11:49:01
WE'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO BE
BEHIND THE CHEAPEST KIND OF DOOR
THAT YOU CAN HAVE AND THEY WERE
SEEING ANYWHERE
BETWEEN FIVE TO TEN MINUTES THAT
IT BOUGHT A PERSON JUST WITH A
HALLOW CORE DOOR. 01:11:58:29 ))
DOOR OR NOT... I SUIT UP WITH 85
POUNDS OF GEAR, TO TAKE OUR
CAMERAS INSIDE WHAT WILL BECOME
A BURNING HOME.
THEN WITH EVERYONE IN PLACE, WE
LIGHT THE FIRE.
WE HEAR THE SMOKE DETECTOR LESS
THAN TWO MINUTES LATER.
WITHIN THREE MINUTES MINUTES THE
RECLINER IS ENGULFED AND
SMOKE STARTS TO SPREAD IN THE
LIVING ROOM AND INTO THE MASTER
BEDROOM...
(( / : 01:08:40:03
FIRES TODAY WITH TODAY'S
FURNISHINGS GROW ABOUT 8 TO 10
TIMES FASTER THAN THE
FURNISHINGS OF 40 YEARS
AGO. 01:08:47:16))
THE FIRE THEN MOVES TO THE REST
OF THE FURNITURE IN THE
ROOM...
FROM THE CHILDREN'S BEDROOM,
WHERE I AM BEHIND THE
DOOR... THE GLOW FROM THE FLAMES
IS APPARENT... SHAFER, WHO IS
WITH ME BEHIND THE DOOR... ROLLS
UP A BLANKET FROM THE BED TO
BLOCK SMOKE FROM COMING UNDER
THE DOOR.... THE CLOSED SPACE
KEEPS TEMPERATURES DOWN, AND
PROVIDES MORE THAN DOUBLE THE
OXYGEN TO BREATHE.
(( / : 01:14:54:04
IF THAT DOOR IS BLOCKING THEN MY
BRAIN MIGHT BE ABLE TO WAKE UP
AND REGISTER, HEY, MY SMOKE
DETECTOR IS
GONIG OFF AND I NEED TO GET OUT
OR I NEED TO GET A PLAN TO GET
OUT. 01:15:02:20 ))
ONCE THE FIRE HAS FLASHED
OVER... FIREFIGHTERS GO
TO WORK PUTTING IT OUT.
(( / : 01:47:45:14
THE DIFFERENCE IN THE AMOUNT OF
DAMAGE THAT'S GOING TO BE DONE
ON THE SIDE THAT HAS THE OPEN
DOOR
IS GOING TO BE DRASTICALLY MORE
THAN THE SIDE THAT'S GOT THE
CLOSED DOOR. 01:47:53:07 ))
KAREN HENDERSHOT IS THE DIRECTOR
OF PUBLIC EDUCATION
FOR THE DEPARMENT... AND SHE'S
RIGHT.
LOOK AT THE LAMP SHADE IN THE
OPEN ROOM... BLACK AND
CHARRED... JUST
WIRES LEFT...
IN THE KIDS' ROOM... IT'S ALMOST
UNTOUCHED...
THE SAME GOES FOR THE
BLANKETS... EVEN THE WALLS ARE
BARELY SMOKE DAMAGED.
BUT FOR THESE FIREFIGHTERS...
IT'S NOT ABOUT THE PROPERTY A
DOOR
PROTECTS, BUT RATHER THE PERSON
THEY CAN REACH WITH THAT EXTRA
FIVE TO TEN MINUTES IT PROVIDES.
(( / : 01:12:07:01
IT'S HUGE. FIVE TO TEN MINUTES,
WE CAN GET THE LINE IN, WE CAN
GET A LADDER TO THE WINDOW TO
RESCUE YOUR
CHILD THAT'S BEHIND THAT CLOSED
DOOR. WE CAN DO A LOT WITHIN
FIVE TO TEN MINUTES. 01:12:16:14
))
(( / : 01:49:20:21
WE TALK ABOUT 9-1-1, WE TALK
ABOUT STOP DROP AND ROLL, WE
TALK ABOUT CRAWLING LOW
UNDERNEATH THE SMOKE, BUT
CLOSING THE DOOR FIRST CAN
POTENTIALLY ELIMINATE SOME OF
THOSE THINGS THAT YOU HAVE TO
DO. 01:49:31:26 ))
(( / : 01:07:39:28
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFE AND
DEATH CAN SIMPLY BE IF THE DOOR
WAS CLOSED. 01:07:45:02 ))
(NINA)
ABOUT HALF OF HOME FIRE DEATHS
HAPPEN BETWEEN 11 P.M. AND 7
A.M.
WHEN MANY PEOPLE ARE SLEEPING,
SO IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT
TO KEEP YOUR DOOR CLOSED WHEN
SLEEPING, BUT IT'S A GOOD
PRACTICE ANY TIME OF DAY.
YOU SHOULD ALSO REMEMBER TO
CLOSE DOORS BEHIND YOU AS
YOU ESCAPE A FIRE.
THERE IS A WHOLE WEBSITE
DEDICATED TO THIS PRACTICE
CALLED
CLOSE-YOUR-DOOR.ORG... WE HAVE
THAT LINK ON OUR WEBSITE
WISHTV.COM IN THIS STORY.
(LAUREN)
THIS ISN'T FORMALLY BEING TAUGHT
AS FIRE SAFETY RIGHT
NOW, IT'S ALMOST SOMETHING
FIREFIGHTERS EXPECT PEOPLE TO
ALREADY KNOW... IS THE INDUSTRY
LOOKING TO CHANGE THAT?
(NINA)
THE FIREFIGHTERS I SPOKE TO,
ESPECIALLY JOHN SHAFER IN AVON
WOULD LIKE TO SEE THIS TAUGHT
ALONG WITH SAFE SLEEPING
PRACTICES FOR NEWBORNS RIGHT IN
THE HOSPITAL, THAT WAY KIDS
LEARN TO SLEEP WITH THE DOOR
CLOSED FROM THE VERY BEGINNING
OF LIFE.
(TOSS TO WEATHER)
WE HAVE BEAUTIFUL WEATHER MOVING
IN FOR THE