Position Statement on Residential Furniture and Mattress Flammability
May 21, 2001
Since its formation in 1980, the Polyurethane Foam Association (PFA), through its various fire safety efforts and its members' technologies, has been instrumental in helping to educate the users of flexible polyurethane foam (FPF) about the safe use and storage of the product and thereby contribute to reducing loss of life, injuries and property damage due to fires.
As the key comfort component in household furnishings products, FPF has been vital to United States mattress manufacturers by helping them comply with the Federal Flammability Standard for Mattresses (FF4-72) and by helping the residential upholstered furniture industry build products that comply with the voluntary UFAC performance standard. The efforts of the mattress and upholstered furniture industries, along with a reduction in the number of smokers, have been effective in helping to significantly reduce the incidence of household fire fatalities resulting from smoldering ignition by cigarettes. While smoldering ignition remains the most common cause of fires that originate in household furnishings products, it is important to achieve a further reduction in the number of fires that originate in household furnishings ignited by small open flame sources such as matches, disposable lighters and candles.
In addressing small open flame ignition fires with home furnishings, all of the flammable components present in the composite item play an important role. In the case of a smoldering heat source, which burns through the outer layers of a composite, FPF helps reduce the chance of ignition. But, with a small open flame ignition source, those same outer layers can become significant fuel sources contributing to involvement of the composite product. Thus, to properly address ignition by small open flame, the burning characteristics of the composite product must be considered.
PFA position on residential mattress flammability by small flame ignition source
PFA position on residential upholstered furniture flammability
PFA is a member of the Intra-Industry Coalition and is participating in the Coalition's Small Open Flame Technical Committee (SOFTC) in its work to identify a small-scale, composite product bench test that correlates with the real world fire performance of residential upholstered furniture. A possible product of that research could be the creation of a component performance standard that suppliers could certify their products against.
PFA position on small open flame testing
With both residential mattress and residential upholstered furniture flammability testing, PFA will support any resulting small open flame ignition test protocol that is:
Based on the composite performance of the finished piece including all items of assembly.
-- Mattress testing should include bed clothing*
-- Appropriate to the risk of small open flame ignition,
-- Without bias toward any component, And, reproducible and technically feasible.
-- *Bed clothing (bedclothes) is defined as mattress covers, sheets, blankets, comforters, pillowcases and similar articles
Products that comply with any resulting test protocol should be:
Commercially viable and saleable, And, effective in resisting ignition by small open flame without compromising smoldering ignition performance.
PFA position on fire prevention and fire safety education
PFA believes that broad educational efforts conducted on an ongoing basis can be effective in preventing household fires. In addition to educational efforts, the installation and use of fire detection (smoke, heat and CO detectors) and suppression systems (extinguishers and sprinklers) are also important elements of a successful fire safety program.
