Why your grandkids should never sleep with the door "cracked open"
It’s an age-old trick parents and grandparents have been doing to get children to sleep at night, and that is to crack open the door slightly to let light in.
But now, firefighters are advising against the seemingly innocent practice, saying it could be the difference between life and death during a fire.
Taking to Facebook, Cold Spring Harbor Fire Department posted a safety warning.
Sharing a photo of two doors side-by-side, the firefighters wrote:
"As a parent it’s hard to convince little kids to sleep with the door closed, they always want it open just a little. I do a lot of fire prevention at schools, so one thing I try and stress to the kids is, how important it is to sleep with the doors closed.
"The photos below are a great example of the importance of keeping bedroom doors closed while sleeping. The door pictured in both photos is a hollow core door to a bedroom. While the front of the door is severely damaged, the closed door protected the bedroom and its contents. If this were an occupied bedroom the closed door could have saved a life.''
A number of parents were grateful for the advice, saying that from now on, they’ll be closing their child’s door fully during bedtime.
Others were sceptical, saying that closing the door entirely is impractical.
"Kids who can't sleep with the door shut are alarmed kids who need to reduce separation with their parents at night, the open door is the most they can do because they can at least hear their parents. Ooh yes, alarming them even more by the threat of a fire will surely get them to sleep better,'' said one user.
"If I closed the door my kids would scream bloody murder,'' said another.
Some were concerned about the likelihood of a fire starting in their child’s bedroom, saying that if the door was closed, they wouldn’t be able to hear the alarm on time.
"See I always worry that the fire could start in their room and the smoke detector won't pick it up if the door is closed. Or that it may start outside of the rooms and that we won't hear the alarm in time if the doors are closed... Now I just don't know what to do....'' said a parent.
The fire department issued a response which included fire safety tips for the entire family.
"Smoke detectors should be placed in both common areas and bedrooms of the house!" the fire department commented. "Fire drills in the house are just as important as ones in school. That is also a big thing I speak about. It is always good to have a 'meeting place' outside. Maybe a mailbox or tree in the front yard!"
What do you think? Do you agree with the firefighters, or do you think children should still crack the door open? Let us know in the comments below.