NASHVILLE, TN – A closed door can save lives during a home fire – and a winning video about the “close the door” message can bring a lucky fire department $25,000. To help raise awareness of the lifesaving properties of a closed door during a home fire, the Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office (SFMO) is sharing information about a new video contest sponsored by the UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute (FSRI).
The contest promotes FSRI’s “Close Before You Doze” campaign, which shares a similar lifesaving message as the Tennessee SFMO’s “Close the Door” campaign. Entrants are asked to submit a video that’s less than three minutes long that promotes the “Close Before You Doze” message. UL FRSI will donate up to $25,000 to the winner’s favorite fire department.
To enter, consumers can submit their creations at closeyourdoor.com/contest. The public will vote to determine the top eight finalists. Winners will be announced in October and will receive a donation in their name to their favorite fire department. Videos must be submitted by August 31, 2019. The official contest rules can be found here.
The fire prevention message about closing a door has never been more important. Forty years ago, residents had over 17 minutes to escape a home fire with their lives. Today, that number is under 3 minutes because of modern construction materials and furnishings. A closed door can hinder flames and smoke from spreading to other rooms and can help deprive a fire of the oxygen it needs to grow, limiting structural damage and even potentially saving lives.
The SFMO, who has been a longtime proponent of the message, launched a statewide “Close the Door” campaign in fall 2018 in collaboration with Phoenix-based Knox Company. Through this partnership, educational materials and props have been distributed to fire departments across the Volunteer State. The SFMO has also produced a new video to show the impacts of a closed door from a survivor’s standpoint.
Click here to learn more about the “Close the Door” project in Tennessee.
