“This process has been a model for improving a consumer product involved in fires.”
-- Statement by the National Association of State Fire Marshals following the approval of the new mattress standard by the CPSC
Did you know?
- Some of today's mattresses can become engulfed in flames within only a few minutes of ignition
- ‘Flashover’ is when contents of a room simultaneously ignite and the fire spreads to other rooms of the home
- Standard limits the peak rate of heat that can be released from a burning mattress
The principle aspect of the national mattress standard (referred to as ‘16 CFR Part 1633’) is the “open-flame” test. The standard requires that any fire resulting from a mattress exposed to an open-flame heat source, such as lighters, matches, or candles, burn more slowly and generate less heat than fires involving non-compliant mattresses today.
Simply put, the standard will substantially increase the amount of time that consumers will have to detect and escape from a mattress fire.
How? Lower heat output rates will reduce the risk of flashover, which occurs when the entire contents of a room ignite simultaneously – making conditions in the room untenable and safe exit impossible – and the fire spreads to other rooms in the home.
Image courtesy of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
Passing the Test
The test-methods for the standard are based on research by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Sleep Products Safety Council. The new test criteria will help in evaluating a product’s increased fire resistance in compliance with the new law.
As of July 1, 2007, a mattress set must meet both of the following measures:
(1) The peak rate of heat release for the mattress set must not exceed 200 kilowatt at any time during the 30 minute test; and
(2) The total heat release must not exceed 15 megajoule for the first 10 minutes of the test.
