Groups Split Over Endorsing Fire-Safe Cigarettes

Representatives of fire-prevention organizations split Wednesday over legislation designed to produce cigarettes that are more fire-safe, with some fire officials joining tobacco companies in urging Congress to require more study before action is taken.

Of four fire officials who testified before a House subcommittee, two endorsed a bill that would require the industry to make cigarettes less apt to cause fires if dropped on upholstery and bedding. The other two backed an industry measure calling for more research.

The two approaches have divided fire-prevention groups, many of which have received lucrative grants and contracts from the Tobacco Institute in recent years. Cigarettes are the nation’s leading cause of fatal fires, claiming nearly 1,500 victims a year.

“It is now time to begin the process of moving a fire-safe cigarette from the laboratory into the environment where it can make a difference,” said District of Columbia Fire Chief Rayfield Alfred, speaking for the International Assn. of Fire Chiefs.

“Let us see if the fire-safe cigarettes can be made before we attempt to mandate them,” countered Philip Stittleburg, representing the National Volunteer Fire Council. “It is not a political determination but a scientific one.”

Rep. Doug Walgren (D-Pa.), chairman of the subcommittee on commerce, consumer protection and competitiveness of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, questioned whether support from the industry played a role in persuading some fire organizations to endorse study over action.

“Simply put, we need a cigarette which, when dropped accidentally in a chair or bed, goes out before a life-threatening fire can start,” Walgren said.

Two years ago, a federal task force concluded that it would be “technically feasible” to produce safer cigarettes. The study found that thinner cigarettes, using looser-packed tobacco and less-porous paper, would cause fewer fires.

Rep. Joe Moakley (D-Mass.) introduced a bill that would give the Consumer Product Safety Commission a year to establish an ignition resistance standard for cigarettes. The industry then would have another year to bring its products into line with the standard.

A rival bill by Reps. Rick Boucher (D-Va.) and Thomas J. Bliley Jr. (R-Va.) on behalf of the industry would launch a three-year study of unresolved issues, including the commercial potential of safer cigarettes. It would not require any action upon completion.

“The issue of commercial feasibility is a real question,” said Charles Whitley, a former congressman who testified on behalf of the Tobacco Institute. “More research needs to be done.”

Asked by Walgren about the industry’s financial support of fire groups, Whitley said there were “no strings” attached to the grants.

Before Wednesday’s hearing, the Tobacco Institute and the National Volunteer Fire Council orchestrated a letter-writing campaign in which some fire groups endorsed the industry-backed bill.

Johnson reported from Washington and Levin reported from Los Angeles.