Impact of industry’s fire safe political strategies
| Source: Industry documents.2,13,54,69,74,75,76,77 | |||
| Federal action | Bill introduced to regulate cigarettes as fire hazard (1979) | Finds technically and economically feasible to produce fire safe cigarette (1987) | Methodology for determining ignition propensity published (1990) |
| Industry response | “Smokers Need Watchers” (personal responsibility) campaign (1979) | “Real world methodology” questioned (1987) | Testing methodology developed by TSG/TAG will give contradictory results (1990) |
| Make fire fighters into “third-party defenders for ourselves” (1980s) | Fire safe cigarettes not consumer acceptable (1987) | Consumers will behave more carelessly with fire safe cigarettes (1991) | |
| Call for reduced flammability of furniture and upholstery (1981) | Increased education and smoke detectors are necessary to decrease fires (1998) | ||
| Result | Bill introduced to determine testing methodology for ignition propensity (1987) | Bill introduced to determine testing methodology for ignition propensity (1987) | Federal inaction (ongoing) |