Residential Mattress Fires: A History of Proactive Industry Involvement

The mattress industry has been committed to consumer safety for over 30 years, beginning in the 1970s with preparatory work leading to the federal cigarette-ignition standard for mattresses, first issued in 1973.  As the incidence of cigarette-related fires continues to fall, hazards associated with open-flame ignition of mattresses have become more apparent.  As a result, the industry has once again taken the initiative in conducting scientific research to further enhance bedroom safety.

Focus on Cigarette Ignitions

In the late 1960s, fire incident data showed that smoking was the leading cause of mattress fires, with 60 to 70 percent of such fires caused by carelessly discarded cigarettes.  Typically, a person would smoke in bed, fall asleep, and many minutes later a smoldering fire would ensue.  Often these types of fires occurred when the smoker was impaired either by alcohol or drugs.

After the U.S. Commerce Department issued a “Finding of Need” in 1970, the mattress industry’s trade association, now known as the International Sleep Products Association (ISPA), worked closely with federal regulators and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) to develop a Federal Mattress Flammability Standard – which is now codified at 16 CFR 1632 and administered by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).  A mattress is considered to be resistant to cigarette ignition, and fit for sale, when prototype constructions are tested and shown to comply with the cigarette-ignition test method described in the standard.  The standard also allows manufacturers to substitute certain types of materials used in mattress constructions and specifies a flammability classification method for mattress “ticks” or fabrics.

The success of the mattress industry’s response to the cigarette-ignition problem is clearly demonstrated by U.S. fire statistics.  Although accurate and reliable U.S. fire statistics prior to 1980 are difficult to obtain, CPSC data from 1980 to 1998 show a significant improvement during which bedroom-related fires dropped 68 percent and bedroom-related fire deaths fell 52 percent.  The Federal Mattress Flammability Standard is one of several important factors that have lead to this major improvement in public safety, as is the more prevalent use of smoke detectors and a decline in smoking.

Creating the Sleep Products Safety Council

The mattress industry’s proactive approach to product safety took further shape in 1986, when the mattress industry established the Sleep Products Safety Council (SPSC).  The SPSC provides consumer safety information, supports scientific research and promotes other activities to reduce safety hazards associated with sleep products.

In 1987, the SPSC initiated a voluntary program to place important safety messages on mattresses warning consumers of potential hazards that may result from improperly using sleep products.  The messages (now available as an attachable “hangtag” or a permanently sewn-on label) include fire and child safety information from the CPSC, the National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM), the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) and the American Academy of Pediatrics.  By attaching these messages to its mattresses, a manufacturer also certifies that its product complies with the Federal Mattress Flammability Standard.  To date, the industry’s voluntary labeling program has resulted in over 165 million mattresses carrying important product safety messages (now available in English, Spanish and French) into the home.

The SPSC also engages the media to inform consumers about important fire-safety precautions they can take to reduce residential fires.  News releases and media kits have focused on a variety of subjects, such as the high incidence of child-set fires and how parents can protect their homes and families.  Earlier SPSC media campaigns focused on Sleep Safety Month in February, using this commemorative event to heighten public awareness about the safe use of sleep products.  These media programs have reached tens of millions of Americans through television, radio, newspapers and magazines.

Similarly, the SPSC partners with the USFA to focus on fire prevention in the bedroom.  This activity features “Fire Stops With You” fact sheets, which are part of USFA information packets distributed to over 33,000 local fire jurisdictions to be used in their public outreach efforts.  This information also is included on the USFA web site at www.usfa.fema.gov.

In 2000, the SPSC launched its own web site – www.SafeSleep.org – to inform consumers and the media about important sleep safety issues.  The easy-to-navigate format features helpful tips on key safety issues, such as how to prevent mattress fires, the risk factors that contribute to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and how to store and dispose of old mattresses safely.  SafeSleep.org is registered with leading search engines and listed in online resource directories to ensure users can find the site.

The web site targets the “at risk” population most responsible for bedroom fires – small children – through an interactive game that contains important fire prevention and safety tips and a fire safety "I-card" that an older sibling can send electronically to a younger brother or sister.  A quiz for adults/parents was also included along with a separate Teacher’s Lounge with easy-to-implement classroom exercises.

To help mattress manufacturers comply with flammability requirements, the SPSC maintains a database that provides up-to-date information on all relevant federal and state regulations, tests, policies, statutes and codes.  In addition, the SPSC sponsors periodic educational conferences that promote safety improvements and publicize the results of scientific research among mattress manufacturers.

The Focus Moves to Open-Flame Ignitions

In 1980, 44 percent of bedding fires were caused by smoking materials and 32 percent by open-flame ignition.  In the early 1990s, the official statistics began to show that the number of cigarette-caused bedding fires had dipped below those caused by open-flame ignition.  Current fire statistics – the most recent data available is for 1998 – show that cigarette-ignited mattress fires have declined to about 26 percent of all mattress fires, with open-flame ignitions now accounting for 41 percent of such fires.  

In light of these trends, the CPSC and the mattress industry each conducted studies in 1996 to gain a better understanding of how open-flame ignited bedding fires occur.  In one study, the CPSC performed an in-depth field analysis of all bedding-related fires reported to CPSC.  In a separate study, the SPSC and the NASFM worked with local fire investigators to analyze every bedding-related fire over a six-month period in four selected U.S. cities (New York, Chicago, Seattle and Houston) during which a total of 220 bedding fires were investigated.

The results of the independently conducted studies were remarkably similar.  Both concluded that:

• Bedclothes (such as sheets, blankets, pillows, comforters, bedspreads, etc.) by and large are the first item ignited in open-flame mattress fires. A mattress is ignited directly by small open-flames (i.e., matches, lighters, candles) only in about one-third of the cases.
• Approximately two-thirds of small open-flame ignitions are started by children under age 15; one-fifth are started by children under age 5.

Upon reviewing these findings, the SPSC initiated formal discussions with the CPSC to explore alternatives for reducing open-flame ignited mattress fires.

As part of this effort, the SPSC launched a multi-phase scientific study in 1998, conducted by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), with financial and “in-kind” support from other groups. At the outset of this work and at various points during the NIST research, the SPSC and NIST met with CPSC representatives to request their suggestions and comments and to inform them of the progress of this work.

The first phase of the research, completed in 2000, accomplished two objectives.  First, NIST scientists thoroughly evaluated the fire characteristics of the entire bedding ensemble or bedding system – comprised of bedclothes (sheets, blankets, etc.), the mattress and the mattress foundation (also called the boxspring).  Second, NIST developed gas burners that reliably simulate the mattress fire that results when bedclothes are ignited.  This apparatus is important in allowing researchers to replicate “real world” bedroom fires in a consistent manner.

A final report on this phase of the NIST mattress research, entitled “Flammability Assessment Methodology for Mattresses” (NISTIR 6497), was published in the summer of 2000.  

The second phase of NIST research – conducted once again in consultation with CPSC representatives – was completed in 2002.  The highlights of this work include:

• An analysis of how a burning bed ensemble can ignite other combustibles in the bedroom (called secondary ignitions) and thereby possibly cause room flashover, and an estimate of the point at which a bed ensemble fire (measured in terms of the rate of peak heat release) is likely to lead to such secondary ignitions.
• An estimate (using computer models) of the potential improvements in life safety that could be achieved if the likelihood of flashover were substantially reduced. NIST analyzed the number of fire-related deaths and injuries – potential victims outside the room of origin, those in the bedroom but not intimate with the bed and those in or under the bed when the fire begins – that can be avoided if the size and spread rate of the bed ensemble fire is reduced to a given level.

The NIST findings are documented in Technical Note 1446, entitled “Estimating Reduced Fire Risk Resulting From An Improved Mattress Flammability Standard”, published August 2002.

The final NIST study that the SPSC has commissioned examined the fire impact of using selected bedclothes (such as pillows, comforters and mattress pads) whose fire performance has been improved by use of several different fire-retardant components on three different mattress constructions.  The tests measured the impact these modified bedclothes products have on the size and intensity of a mattress fire.  The results of this aspect of NIST’s research have not yet been published.

In addition to the NIST research itself, the SPSC formed a task force, comprised of technical personnel from the CPSC, NIST and the California Bureau of Home Furnishings (CBHF) – to facilitate discussion of the design and results of these research projects and to encourage the efficient use of available fire science to develop workable solutions to mattress-related fire problems.

The CPSC and the California Bureau of Home Furnishings: Progress Toward a Uniform National Open-Flame Mattress Standard

Work on an open-flame standard for mattresses is progressing at both the federal and state levels.  At the federal level, the CPSC published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) in October 2001 to begin the process for establishing a federal mandatory open-flame standard for mattresses, foundations and mattress pads.  The CPSC is currently reviewing public comments it has received concerning the ANPR, including those filed by the SPSC in support of a practical national open-flame standard.  Concurrent with its analysis of the public comments, the CPSC is working with NIST to develop an economical screening test for use in quickly identifying possibly non-compliant mattresses sold in the marketplace.  If the screening test concept proves to be practical, the CPSC would expect that mattresses that fail the screening test would then be subjected to full-scale product testing for a more definitive compliance determination. 

Once the CPSC completes this work, it will likely propose a draft standard, which will be published for public comment in the Federal Register.  The Commission will then issue a final regulation that would apply to all mattresses, foundations and mattress pads sold in the United States.  The CPSC has set no specific schedule for this process.

In terms of fire safety initiatives at the state level, California has long been regarded as a leader in consumer protection regulations.   In 2001, California enacted Assembly Bill 603, requiring the CBHF to develop an open-flame standard for all mattresses and foundations sold in California for residential use, as well as “filled” bedclothes (that is, pillows, comforters, mattress pads, etc.) if the CBHF finds that these products contribute to mattress fires. 

The CBHF issued its proposed mattress standard (called Technical Bulletin TB 603) on February 24, 2003.  Interested parties (including ISPA and the SPSC, which filed joint comments on behalf of the mattress industry) have filed comments on this proposal and public hearings on TB603 were held in late April 2003.  Based on comments filed by ISPA, the SPSC and others, the CBHF announced revisions to TB603 on July 15, 2003. 

All mattresses and foundations made after January 1, 2005 for sale in California must comply with the requirements of TB603.

In addition, the CBHF has concluded that bedclothes do contribute to mattress fires.  As a result, the CBHF plans to set separate flammability standards (to be called TB604) for bedclothes.