May 7, 2007

Coalition Targets Cigarette-Ignited Fires

Grand Rapids, MI – The Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association (BIFMA) International has joined the Coalition For Fire-Safe Cigarettes and encourages association members to join. The coalition issued a call to tobacco companies last spring to produce and sell only “fire-safe” cigarettes nationwide.

The Coalition is a national group of fire service members, consumer, elderly, and disabled rights advocates, medical and public health practitioners, and others, coordinated by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), who are committed to saving lives and preventing injuries by reducing the threat of cigarette-ignited fires.

“Hundreds of lives are lost each year in fires caused by smoking materials. Yet the technology for fire-safe cigarettes exists,” said NFPA President James M. Shannon. “The tobacco companies need to use this technology now to help stop the senseless loss of life caused by these fires. Many groups and individuals have intersecting interest in saving lives and preventing injury and property destruction. Together, through this Coalition, we will make our voices heard by the tobacco companies and our elected representatives.”

Cigarette-ignited fires are the leading cause of home fire deaths in the United States, killing 700 to 900 people annually. Additionally, thousands of victims suffer devastating burn and lung injuries, and property losses total millions of dollars each year. One in four cigarette fire casualties is not the smoker and many of the victims are children. “Because of a smoldering cigarette, my life and others’ were changed drastically,” said Cathy Hedrick, whose son, Kenny, a firefighter in Prince George’s County, Maryland, was killed in a cigarette-ignited fire attempting to save the life of a seven-year-old child who also died. “The technology is available now. Industry and government must do everything in their power to save children and firefighters.”

Fire-safe cigarette mandates have passed in California, New York, and Vermont (and for all of Canada). Six other states (OR, UT, IL, KY, NH, MA) have pased similar legislation. Twenty-one states have filed similar bills in their respective legislatures. “Tobacco companies will soon be required to produce fire-safe cigarettes for 30 percent of the population of this country,” said Shannon. “More states are right behind. We know also that shareholders within the companies have been asking for responsible action on this issue since 2004. The time to act is now!”

“We should not have a patchwork of cigarette fire safety in this country,” said Jim Burns, president of the National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM) and New York State Fire Administrator. “The tobacco companies can put an early end to this process by agreeing to manufacture only fire-safe cigarettes.”

For additional information, contact: Lorraine Carli, NFPA Public Affairs Office: +1 617-984-7275, Cell +1 617-840-4180, or www.firesafecigarettes.org.