The “Close Before You Doze” Movement
Fire safety professionals have launched massive public awareness campaigns, such as “Close Before You Doze,” to change public behavior. Decades ago, people had an average of 17 minutes to escape a house fire. Today, because of the synthetic materials used in modern furniture and construction, that escape window has shrunk to less than 3 minutes.
A Matter of Seconds: Closing your door buys you the most valuable asset you can have during an emergency: time.
Overcoming Common Objections
Despite the safety benefits, many people still prefer to sleep with their doors open. Here is how you can address common concerns:
| Concern | The Solution / Reality |
| “I need to hear my kids/pets.” | Install interconnected smoke detectors so that if one goes off, they all go off. You will easily hear the alarm through a closed door. |
| “It gets too hot/stuffy.” | Utilize a ceiling fan, an oscillating fan, or adjust your home’s HVAC settings to keep air circulating within the room. |
| “My pets like to roam.” | While it can be an adjustment for a dog or cat, safety comes first. Consider letting them sleep inside the room with you with the door firmly shut. |
Make the Change Tonight
It is incredibly easy to view fire safety as something we will “get around to,” but as the sentiment reminds us, once you know the facts, you can never look at an open bedroom door the same way again.
Tonight, when you turn off the lights, make sure to shut your door. It is a zero-cost, two-second habit that could quite literally save your life
