The state Senate has passed a bill that would require all mattresses, bedding and upholstered furniture made or sold in Rhode Island to be fire-retardant, able to withstand some exposure to an open flame, and not just to a burning cigarette, as federal standards require.
The bill, which is now before the House Health, Education and Welfare Committee, would put Rhode Island roughly on par with California, which on Jan. 1 became the first state in the nation to hold mattresses and bedding to such a high safety standard.
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New Jersey, New York and Louisiana are also considering such measures, according to Al Klancnik, chairman of the Sleep Products Safety Council. More important, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is looking to make mattresses flame-resistant and set standards for bedclothes, but it’s been delayed because of a vacancy on the commission, Klancnik said.
In the meantime, most U.S. beds are still just flame-resistant enough to comply with the safety commission’s 32-year-old cigarette standard. Only one major manufacturer, Serta International, where Klancnik is group vice president, has adopted the flame standard company-wide.
“Have you ever witnessed the burn of a standard (cigarette-resistant) bed?” Klancnik said in an interview. “I’ve been an expert witness for the industry for close to 30 years. I have witnessed people who have been maimed and died. … Serta felt when we had the means, within a reasonable price, with a reasonable technology, that we should save lives now.”
Bedroom fires have declined dramatically, by 70 percent from 1980 to 1999, according to the consumer safety commission. Experts attribute the drop to the 1973 standard, a rise in the use of smoke detectors and general consumer education. Nevertheless, between 1996 and 1998, there were an estimated 20,800 residential structure fires where mattresses, pillows and bedding materials were the first items to ignite, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. Those fires injured more than 2,200 civilians, killed 380 people and caused almost $104 million in property losses.
According to the National Fire Incident Reporting System, one-quarter of fires between 1996 and 1998 were caused by smoking, but slightly more were caused by children playing with fire, and electrical fires and open flames – such as from candles – each caused about 9 percent.
Since the fire at The Station, which has been linked to polyurethane foam used as soundproofing, Rhode Islanders in particular have gained awareness of the dangers of the material, which is used in a large share of the mattresses, mattress pads, pillows and upholstered furniture sold in the United States.
State Sen. John C. Revens Jr. (D-Warwick), who takes pride in having pushed for mandatory smoke detectors, for example, well before they were widely viewed as necessary, read about the issue and set out to make Rhode Island a leader in bed safety.
“These new standards will save countless numbers of lives,” Revens said.
The bill, which would take effect July 1 of next year, would cover not just mattresses, bedding and upholstered furniture, but polyurethane foam sold in blocks or sheets – except if it’s certain not to be directly exposed, such as the foam used under carpeting.
Revens got a similar measure passed by the Senate last year, but it died in the House. He said he hasn’t heard of any overt opposition to the bill this year – it passed the Senate by 36-1 on May 17, but he said critics may figure it’s easier to kill the bill in the House.
One well-known figure who won’t be objecting to the measure is Roanne Baron, owner of Off-Track Bedding. Ever since Serta made all its products flame-resistant, she said, it’s been the only brand of inner-spring mattresses sold at her stores.
“It was very important to us, especially since it happened right around the time of The Station fire,” Baron said.
Asked whether customers ever ask about products’ fire safety, Baron replied, “Not at all.” Off-Track Bedding does prominently display Serta’s promotional materials touting the fire safety features, however, and as customers are informed, “I think they like the benefit of it.”
With the California standard in place and a federal standard in the works, Serta may soon have plenty of company in the flame-resistant market. TempurPedic, for example, has already gained certification, according to Ron Cardi, of Cardi’s Furniture, which sells the brand.
Cardi said requiring flame-resistant mattresses is “a wonderful thing,” though he’d like to see all bedding items, as well as bedroom curtains and other flammable items, made safer as well. But while Cardi’s fully supports the federal proposal, he said having Rhode Island move ahead on its own could create complications. What if a customer walks into the Swansea store, buys a non-compliant item, then takes it to Rhode Island?
“It becomes very difficult to enforce,” Cardi said. “The federal government has spent an enormous amount of money on this, as has the state of California. If I had to guess, it would take Rhode Island at least a year to develop the proper standard. If they hooked up with the federal government, it would probably make things a lot easier.”
