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Proposed New Tool Offers Possible Solution to America’s Fire Death Problem

Coralville, IA -- A new device called the Smoke Protector – Alarm Door Closer (ADC) is being proposed that could greatly reduce the thousands of deaths, injuries, and disabilities that occur every year in American homes due to fire. The concept behind the Smoke Protector (ADC) is very simple, to link a residential smoke detector with a residential door closer in such a way that the device will close an interior, residential door (such as a bedroom or home office) in the event of a fire. The intent is to separate the occupants from deadly toxic smoke, the number one killer produced in a house fire, says inventor and veteran career Firefighter Paul Suedkamp.

A home fully-equipped with inter-connected Smoke Protector (ADC) would be compartmented within seconds of smoke detector activation, closed doors blocking the travel of damaging heat and deadly smoke. The benefits of such action (limiting the amount of oxygen available to a fire, likely slowing its growth, maintaining visibility and a breathable atmosphere for a longer period of time) are so well recognized by the fire service that devices of similar intent have been mandated by law (aka fire codes) in commercial and industrial buildings for years. We are simply looking to take this proven concept and apply it to where America’s fire death problem really is… in our homes, says Firefighter Suedkamp.

Here are some facts (most of which you can find on the National Fire Protection Association web site):
• Eighty percent of all fire deaths each year occur in the home.
• Eighty percent of all fire deaths each year occur because of toxic smoke inhalation.
• The majority of fire deaths occur at night (when most of us are asleep in our beds).
• Most of the homes we will be living in, in the year 2030 are already built.

It becomes clear that any solution to America’s fire death problem must protect people at night, in their homes, from the toxic smoke generated by a house fire. It must also be inexpensive enough that people will actually use it, and ideally it is a self-install project to hold end-user costs down and encourage installation. A fair description of the Smoke Protector (ADC) proposal, says Firefighter Suedkamp, smiling. We know that a working smoke detector doubles your chances of surviving a house fire. Since our technology will take autonomous action to separate people from the primary threat, I believe we can again double your odds of surviving a house fire over conventional smoke detectors while saving a great deal of the property that would otherwise be lost.

Yet, despite efforts, Paul’s start-up company, Actual Safety, Inc. has been unable to find a timely government grant to support what he calls a “cost effective and politically acceptable solution to our annual 100 billion dollar fire problem”. Thus we are left to appeal to the general public for donations, hoping to raise $25,000 in the next three months to move the proposal forward. To compensate, Actual safety, Inc. is seeking qualified student volunteers to provide summer engineering assistance on this proposed ZigBee enabled fire safety device. We are assembling a small team of mechanical, and electronics engineering students to begin as soon as possible. Qualified student volunteers should consider the humanitarian aspects of such a project, the resume building real world experience of solving one of America’s oldest threats (fire death), and the news media PR (name branding) that can go with it. Fire kills thousands, injures tens of thousands, destroys billions in residential property every year in America alone, and we can do a great deal to stop it simply by using the ZigBee wireless standard to link a battery operated residential smoke detector to a torsion spring powered residential door closer.

To donate or volunteer please contact the address below.

Thanks, and God bless!

Paul Suedkamp, President
Actual Safety, Inc.
2233 - 9th Street
Coralville, IA 52241

(319) 541-2637

suedkamp@actualsafety.com

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