Shut doors at night - or not?

[Thisisnotreallymyname]

I'm often the last one to go up the stairs at night, so as I'm going I close all the doors behind me, especially the dining room door which leads straight into the hall.
The reason for this is , I reckon that if there were a fire at night in the kitchen or dining room, then the fact that the door leading into the hall is closed would give vital minutes for us to escape etc.
The is a smoke alarm in the dining room and also one on the landing.
OH - I recently discovered, leaves all the internal doors downstairs open and said that it would make no difference as if there was a fire, we would be more likely to hear the smoke alarm in the dining room going off , if the door was open.
I totally disagree, I think leaving it open gives quicker access to the fire to get into the hall and upstairs , and it's better to keep the dining room door closed as it would contain it more, and anyway I reckon the smoke alarm would wake me up even if door was closed, plus there's the extra one on the landing.
We can't agree - what do you think?

Most fires break out in the kitchen/ lounge because that's where people are busy falling asleep with fags in their mouths and cooking whilst pissed. If everyone is in bed and the oven turned off why should our kitchen spontaneously burst in to flames? It's nonsense.

We have no open fires

It's only advice brought on from previous experience of fires. If you don't want to close your doors then don't but please dont think it will never happen to you. Everyone thinks that! It could buy you 10 minutes more for the fire service to rescue you all. You will be overcome in less than 2 middle Utes is it worth the risk.
I worked in the fire emergency control room for 12 years before becoming a firefighter and by the time people tried to close their doors during a fire it was too late.
Most decent doors offer a certain level of fire protection. Keeping smoke and toxic burning chemicals away from your escape route and your lungs.

It's not nonsense. Very occasionally electrical items do spontaneously burst into flames.

My cat would cry all night if all the doors in the house were shut all night.
Hopefully the cat would do a Lassie and help save me in a fire

You could move the fire alarm or put a second one in

Linked smoke and fire alarms are easy to come by. Screwfix and most DIY stores (UK and elsewhere).
Battery backed up mains units often need a 'special' cable (an electrician would need to install a 3 conductor cable rather than 2 conductors) or much simpler is radio linked. Bit more expensive but so easy to fit (the battery ones, lasting 10 years). You can install as many as you wish and as soon as one triggers they communicate with each other.

You are right. That said don't over rely on smoke detectors- or rather, maybe the best advice is to think carefully about their positioning and how they will be set off.

I was in a house fire and the smoke detectors didn't activate until 30
Mins after we escaped, by which time the fire brigade hadn't put out the fire. We lived in a townhouse and the fire started in the garage. Above that was the sitting room- above that, bedrooms. The smoke detector was on top floor and above front door. Despite a ferocious fire, smoke didn't reach those areas until quite late. Luckily I woke up from the crackling noise and bright light. Really think about your fire safety, don't assume blanket measures are the answer.

Now we have detectors half way up the stairs, the middle of the house hall and the landing. They are wired to the mains.

I couldn't leave the doors closed because of cats but I understand why you would close them if you didn't have pets.

The fire brigade had put out the fire, even

I have a smoke alarm in the utility room where the washing machine is. I turn of all appliances except the freezers and fridge and my alarm clock. I also shut all the doors but I don't think glass panel doors will offer much protection.

You are right. Always shut the internal doors. If the fire gets into the hallway it will engulf it within seconds.

I vividly remember the fire training officer at work saying that his neighbours house caught fire one night. The family never escaped from that fire because the internal doors were all open and the house went up very quickly. If they hadn't been they most likely would have got out alive.

This is interesting. Downstairs doors are closed but I always leave the children's doors slightly ajar as they are little and can't actually open them themselves. Is this the best solution?

You are right OP.
ALL doors should be fully closed at night, particularly downstairs ones.
This can help starve the fire of oxygen, which it needs as well as help to prevent the fire from spreading, giving you vital extra time to get out.

I would just like to advise anyone here who are hard of hearing that the fire service offer a device called a fire Angel.
This device connects to the fire alarms that they install. It is a small flat shape which you place underneath your pillow. This device vibrates to waken you should your alarm be activated.
Like the smoke alarms, it is free.

We always leave all downstairs doors open. I didn't realise fires usually started in the living room - why? Electronics?

I will try to close the living room door from now on, but isn't this partly why so many houses get mould? No air flow?

We had a fire when an electrical item spontaneously caught fire (food processor). We had hard wired smoke alarms. One on the kitchen ceiling that was a heat detector, one in the hall (bungalow). The halll one woke us up. That saved our lives. Firefighters said they'd have been pulling our bodies out if that hadn't gone off We tried to tackle the fire but couldn't. I pulled doors shut as we left the house which we were told minmised the damage.

Do shut doors. Plan escape routes. Have fire alarms fitted. The fire service will install them for free if you ask. They'll give advice on escape plans too. I know I sound serious but I wouldn't be here today if we hadn't followed this advice.

Oh yes and unplug electrical items when they're not in use. You obviously have to leave the fridge etc but microwaves, kettles, toasters, tumble dyers. Unplug if you aren't using them.

You need new fire detectors. They are linked so if one gets set off they all go.

2rebecca.
No, it's NOT nonsense.
ANY electrical appliance can combust.
My washing machine went up in flames a few years ago while it was in use. Fortunately it was during the day.
Complacency and assumptions can be deadly when it comes to safety, particularly fire safety.

We've got a cat so can't .....

I have to shut the doors behind me as I go up, otherwise the monsters might get my feet.

I'm 33 btw.

Still thing I'm being chased by Pennywise, Paranormal Activity beast, etcetc

Oh all standard doors will offer 30 minutes fire protection which can mean the difference between exiting the property or not.

You won't get mould due to closing doors overnight Drinking Tea, as your rooms will be in use during the day with doors open.
Consider this. You are in bed for roughly 8 hours overnight with the doors closed, which means that for 16 hours your doors are open again. So they are actually open for twice as long as they are closed.
Plenty of time to air out.
[Smile]

I don't know though Tutonic - if we're all at work and school we often don't go into the living room before leaving, so it would be closed for 18 hours and open for 6... We looked after a very annoying dog for 6 months mostly over winter, who would jump over the stair gate we naively installed and compulsively hoover up any food even slightly accessible, and had to keep the kitchen door shut most of the time and did get mould...

I take the point though about fire! More things to remember to do, open doors in the morning, shut them in the evening... I suppose it becomes habit...

Doors open for no other reason than the dog has free range of the house.