Firefighter’s shocking video has revealed why you should always close your bedroom door before you go to sleep.
The Massachusetts first responder, who goes by the online username @smokemedic, shared a dramatic clip on TikTok earlier this week showing how closing the entrance to your bedroom before you go to bed can ultimately save your life.
In the video, which has been viewed more than eight million times, he pans through a seemingly immaculate children’s room.
Important info: A shocking video from a firefighter has revealed why you should always close your bedroom door before you go to sleep
The Massachusetts first responder, who goes by the online username @smokemedic, shared a dramatic clip to TikTok earlier this week
Stay Safe: It showed how closing the entrance to your bedroom before you go to bed can ultimately save your life
Then he turned to show the rest of the house, which had been completely destroyed by fire.
Fire safety tips: How to protect yourself and your family from smoke and flames
- Sleep with the bedroom door closed
- Install smoke detectors on all levels, in all bedrooms and outside sleeping areas
- Test the alarms every month and make sure the batteries are fresh
- Create an “escape plan” with family members and practice it twice a year
- If your house is on fire, get out immediately and call for help — never go back in to get anything or anyone
- Source: Red Cross
The hallway leading from the bedroom showed burn marks on the walls, the ceiling was destroyed, furniture had been thrown around and various pieces of debris covered the floor.
“Remember to close the bedroom doors before you sleep for the night, it could make a world of difference,” he captioned the TikTok.
Daniel Madrzykowski, research director of Underwriters Laboratories’ Fire Safety Research Institute, previously told the New York Times that fires feed on oxygen, so closing a door cuts off a source of air that can help fuel the flames. It can also act as a barrier, slowing the spread of flame and smoke.
The US fire protection officer Dr. Lori Moore-Merrelle also told Verify: “Fires don’t spread as quickly if we can keep doors closed, so close your doors at night when you go to bed.
“Fire must have air, and anything we do to slow down its source of oxygen will slow the fire. So yes, all barriers will buy time.’
The firefighter’s 15-second clip sent fear and terror to many across the internet, with some saying in the comments section that a “new fear” had been “unlocked”.
Others echoed his message, with one person even revealing that closing her bedroom door “saved her life.”
“My whole apartment was on fire,” she recalls.
In the video, which has been viewed more than eight million times, he pans through a seemingly immaculate children’s room
Creepy: He then turned to show the rest of the house which had been completely destroyed by fire – the ceiling was gone and various pieces of debris covered the floor
The firefighter’s 15-second clip scared many people across the internet, with some taking to the comments section to say a “new fear” had been “unblocked”.
Others echoed his message, with one person even revealing that closing her bedroom door “saved her life.”
A few different users explained that they couldn’t sleep with the doors closed because they had pets or were afraid of not being able to hear if their kids needed help
A few different users explained that they couldn’t sleep with the doors closed because they had pets or were afraid of not being able to hear if their kids needed help.
“My anxiety doesn’t allow me to close mine just to make sure my kids are okay,” one mother wrote.
“I always keep my door open. I’m afraid I won’t hear about my children being kidnapped,” said another.
Another added, “I need to hear what’s happening at my house.”
According to the Red Cross, you can also protect your home from fire by installing smoke alarms on all levels, in all bedrooms and outside sleeping areas, testing the alarms every month and making sure the batteries are fresh.
The organization also recommended creating an “escape plan” with family members and practicing it twice a year.
It added that if your house is on fire, get out immediately and call for help – and never go back in for anything or anyone.