A presentation by the National Fire Protection Association on reducing furniture flammability by identifying the size and trends of the problem. The presentation identifies potential design strategies and research tasks.

1. Reducing Furniture Flammability
The Size and Trends
of the Fire Problem and its Parts
Pointing Toward Design Strategies
and Research Tasks
Kathleen Almand
Vice President for Research
National Fire Protection Association
April 2013

2. Size of the problem
 Upholstered furniture(in 2006-2010) as
 first item ignited OR
 primary item contributing to fire spread.
 610 civilian deaths per year (24% of total
home fire deaths)
 1,120 civilian injuries per year
 $566 million in direct property damage per year
 in 8,900 home structure fires per year

3. Trend in deaths with furniture as first
ignited item (down 61%, 1980-84 to 2006-2010)
1,220
480
0
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
1,400
25% of home total
19% of home total

4. Size of the problem and trends
 Summary:
 Fires and losses have declined sharply, both
in numbers and as shares of the home fire
problem.
 Decline in numbers means success.
 Decline in shares probably means a major
contribution from furniture regulations
 But upholstered furniture remains the #1
burnable item for home fires and losses

5. Major parts of the problem (2006-
2010)
Fires
Civilian
Deaths
Civilian
Injuries
Direct Damage
(in Millions)
Lighted tobacco
product
1,900 (21%) 270 (45%) 320 (29%) $97 (17%)
Open flame from
other fire
2,200 (25%) 130 (21%) 280 (25%) $138 (24%)
Operating
equipment
1,500 (17%) 70 (12%) 140 (13%) $81 (14%)
Small open flame 1,400 (16%) 60 (10%) 220 (20%) $69 (12%)
Ember, ash or
other or unclassi-
fied hot or smol-
dering object
1,300 (15%) 60 (10%) 130 (11%) $150 (27%)
Unclassified,
other or multiple
heat source
600 (7%) 20 (3%) 30 (3%) $31 (5%)
Total 8,900 (100%) 610 (100%) 1,120 (100%) $566 (100%)

6. Trend in deaths by scenario
 Decline (1980-84 to 2006-10) in deaths:
 67% for cigarette ignitions
 61%with ember, ash and other hot or
smoldering heat sources added to cigarettes
 73% for small open flame ignitions
 45% for arcing or heat from operating equipment
 For comparison and context, 44% for all home
fire deaths and all causes
 Can’t calculate “other burning item” ignitions for 1980-
84. The data elements we use now were not available
then.

7. Types of design strategies
 Strategies to improve fire performance by
changing the furniture:
 Change covering or filling material
 Flame-retardant treatment of covering or filling
material
 Fire barrier systems

8. Specific research questions
by scenario
 Cigarette – How much can be done just with
cover fabrics or filling materials?
 Ember, ash or other hot or smoldering object
– Do these behave like cigarettes?
 Operating equipment – Can we get details
on common detailed ignition sequences?
 Other burning item – How much can be
done with barrier systems?
 Small open flame – How much can be done
with barrier systems?

9. What do we need?
 We need a strategyfor the 5 scenarios that
account for at least 10% of deaths
 Each design strategy needs a test-based
standard based on one or all of following:
Prevention effectiveness
Peak intensity (rate of heat release). Assumes that
less severe fires mean less fire spread, which means
less fire loss.
Time to peak intensity or to room flashover.
Assumes that slower fires provide more time for
escape and intervention to suppress by occupants or
fire department.

10. What do we need?
 Each test-based standard needs:
Specifications of the test procedure
Test conditions for each scenario to be evaluated
Evidence that the test results validly predict real-
scale furniture performance
Threshold(s) for acceptance on evaluation scales
Evidence that products passing the test have
significantly better fire performance
Nail down all the related questions

11. What do we need?
 That is a lot of research work.
 We need everybody who can contribute to take
on part of that work.
 But we need a shared vision of where we are
going … and an integrated plan so that the
parts all contribute to standards that will
address this fire problem.
 NFPA and the Fire Protection Research
Foundation are committed to addressing this
issue and are ready to do our part.