County earns fifth place in national fire safety contest

Fire department wins $5,000 for its educational video.

The Cobb County Fire & Emergency Services has been selected as a fifth-place winner for the Close Before You Doze national video contest by the UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute (FSRI).

A $5,000donation will be given to Cobb Fire for fire safety education for their video, which encourages people to close their bedroom doors before going to sleep to increase their chances of surviving a house fire.

From musical interpretations and creative animations to reallife demonstrations, the contest received dozens of entries that were put to a public vote to determine the top eight winners, according to a FSRI statement. A panel of UL FSRI representatives ranked the top videos.

The first-place “Close B4 U Doze” video — created by North Carolina fire departments Greenville Fire/Rescue, Rocky Mount Fire Department and Wilson Fire/Rescue Services — received a $25,000 donation for local fire safety education.

The “Close Before You Doze: Small Steps to Safety” video was named runner-up, awarding the Coble Fire Department in Tennessee a $15,000 donation. The Omaha Fire Department in Nebraska and La Plata Volunteer Fire Department in Maryland tied for third, each receiving a $10,000 donation for their videos.

Four additional videos received honorable mentions and $5,000 donations to their selected fire departments, including Cobb.

According to the NationalFire Protection Association (NFPA), 40 years ago people had 17 minutes to escape their home in the event of a fire. Today fire spreads faster due to synthetic fabrics in furniture, lighter construction materials and open floor plans, leaving people with less than three minutes to escape. Research from UL FSRI shows that, in a fire, a closed-door room has average temperatures of less than 100 degrees Fahrenheit versus more than 1,000 degrees ina room with an open door. A door is also an effective barrier against deadly smoke and carbon monoxide, keeping oxygen levels higher and buying time for help to arrive.

Fire contest videos can be seen at CloseYourDoor.org/contest.

CONTRIBUTED Starring Ember the Fire Dog, the fire safety video by the Cobb County Fire & Emergency Services won a $5,000 prize in a national video contest to further fire safety education.