Fire-Safe Cigarettes coming to Wisconsin October 1st

In April of 2008 Governor Doyle signed a bill that will require all cigarettes sold in the state of Wisconsin to be compliant with fire-safe cigarette (FSC) regulations by October 1st of 2009. With that date just around the corner, SFW wanted to remind our readers of this change.

The main organization that is pushing for this type of regulation is the Coalition for Fire-Safe Cigarettes. Their mission is to, "work to save lives and prevent injuries and devastation from cigarette-ignited fires." They are primarily supported by the National Fire Protection Association. Many public health, public safety, fire service workers, and consumer rights groups support the efforts of the Coalition for Fire-Safe Cigarettes.  (To read more about this group CLICK HERE.)

You might ask... What is a fire-safe cigarette? 
A fire-safe cigarette has a reduced propensity to continue to burn if left unattended. The typical design has two bands that will self-extinguish if the cigarette is left burning in an ashtray for too long.

A few important things to keep in mind:

• Burning cigarettes are a leading cause of home fire fatalities in the United States, killing 700-900 people annually. 
• Mattresses, bedding, upholstered furniture, and trash are the items most commonly ignited in smoking-material home fires. The risk can be greatly reduced or eliminated with legislation ensuring fire-safe cigarettes are the standard.
  
• FSCs are a growing trend here in the United States and something that Big Tobacco has  willingly responded to. 99.8% of the US population is, or soon will be covered to see the map CLICK HERE.