New Device Could Help Save Lives In Event Of Fire
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - If there is a fire in your home, every second counts. That's why smoke alarms are so important. They give you a chance to get out of the house.
But, there is something else that can save your life in a fire, and it's so simple - a closed door.
A North Carolina company came all the way to the Pittsburgh area to test a new device that would close the doors in your house for you in the event of a fire.
According to the National Fire Prevention Association, someone dies in a house fire every 2 hours and 42 minutes in the United States.
Most fatal fires happen in the middle of the night while you're sleeping. In a fire, it's not the flames, but the toxic smoke that will get you.
"Sleep with your door closed," Beaver Falls Fire Chief Mark Stowe said.
A closed bedroom door can keep the flames and toxic smoke at bay giving you more time to escape your burning home.
What if you forget to close your bedroom door?
A new product called Ceasefire Door Hinge can fix that. The brainchild of two retired New York City fire fighters, Ceasefire is a hinge that will actually close the door for you if a fire breaks out.
It's a top hinge with a spring that replaces the traditional door hinge and it can sense heat from a fire.
"It will activate at 135 degrees and close the door to contain the fire," says Jeff Teta with Ceasefire.
The creators of the hinge recently came to the Pittsburgh area to test the hinge in a real-life situation.
They called upon the Beaver Falls Fire Department to assist.
They set several fires inside homes to see what would happen. The hinge closed the door in every test. The closed door kept out heat and flames. There were even special sensors in place to see just how much heat the closed door could keep out of the bedroom where a potential victim would be sleeping.
"The ceiling temperature in the hallway was 1,000 degrees. To have the door shut and at bed height it was 80 degrees. It's a beautiful thing," Teta said.
The door shutting makes a room survivable and it keeps the flames from spreading.
"You're not only saving lives, you're saving property. If you're not home and those doors shut and your property is protected," Teta said. n
To pre-order a hinge, go to www.ceasefiredoorhinge.com. To save 10 percent off your order, use promo code CBS.
