EAST ORANGE, NJ: The East Orange Fire Division is participating in the National Fire Safety Campaign “Close Before You Doze” to encourage every family to make sure they close all of their doors at night to contain a potential house fire and keep family members safe.

Research has shown that closed doors dramatically decrease heat and carbon monoxide levels and allows trapped occupants a greater chance of survival while waiting for help to arrive. The goal of this ongoing public education initiative is to heighten awareness about the practice of closing the doors in the home, particularly before bedtime, and the potentially life-saving impact on those trapped inside a burning structure.

“During a fire, a closed door can mean the difference between 100 degrees and 1,000 degrees. The closed door starves the fire of the oxygen it requires to grow and gives you more time to escape,” explained East Orange Fire Chief André M. Williams. “It’s such a simple thing to do and the result can be life versus death.

Mayor Ted R. Green encourages families to head these warnings and to start educating young children early about this life-saving precaution.

“Through this campaign, we hope to make closing all doors – including bathroom and basement, too – second nature in every household in our city,” said Mayor Green.

Forty years ago, people had an average of 17 minutes to escape a burning home after the smoke alarm goes off, but today, that window has shrunk to an average of three minutes or less as modern-day synthetic materials are faster to catch on fire.

To schedule a “Close Before You Doze” presentation at your next community meeting, day care center, school or civic/block association, contact communityoutreach@eastorange-nj.gov or 973-266-5509, extension 5526. For more information, please visit closebeforeyoudoze.org

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