Investigation Guidelines

INVESTIGATION GUIDELINE

Product: Upholstered Furniture
Appendix: 19
Date Amended: October 2005

I. Introduction
A. Background Information
Upholstered furniture fires are a leading cause of residential fire deaths, injuries, and
property loss. From 1995 to 1999, there were averages of 580 deaths per year, 1,430
injuries per year, and $212 million in property loss per year involving upholstered
furniture fires. The majority of upholstered furniture fires are ignited by smoking
materials or small open flame sources, such as lighters, matches, and candles.
In October 2003, the Commission issued an advance notice of proposed rule making
(ANPR) to address ignitions of upholstered furniture from smoldering cigarettes and
small open flames. Previously, in 1994, the Commission had issued an ANPR addressing
small open flame ignitions only.
The draft standard under consideration by staff is designed to reduce the progression and
severity of an upholstered furniture fire. The standard places performance criteria on the
component materials of furniture, including upholstery fabrics, fillings, and fire barriers.
The upholstered furniture fire investigations will be used for two chief purposes. First,
they will be used to determine the hazard scenarios for both smoking materials and small
open flame ignitions of furniture. Knowledge of the hazard scenarios will be used in the
development of the draft standard.
Second, the investigations will be used to evaluate the effect of the draft standard on fire
casualties and property losses. Under the standard, upholstered furniture fires would be
prevented or have reduced severity. The investigations will be reviewed and staff will
assess under the draft standard how many additional people in various scenarios might
survive, not be injured, or have a less severe injury. For this reason, the investigation
guideline pays special attention to the people present in the structure at the time of the
fire, in particular, their locations, conditions, and their abilities to escape the fire.
All ignition sources of upholstered furniture are of interest. Although, the ANPR address
only smoldering cigarette and small open flame ignitions, fires with other ignition
sources may be affected by the standard.

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B. Product Descriptions
Upholstered furniture is a unit of interior furnishing that has resilient or cushioned
seating surfaces, covered, in whole or part, with a fabric or related material, such as
leather. It may be reasonably expected to be used in homes, offices, or other places of
assembly or accommodation. Most such units are sofas and chairs.
Definitions
The following are common terms relating to upholstered furniture that are relevant to the
investigation.
Upholstery fabric is the outer-most layer of fabric or related ma terial used to enclose the
resilient upholstery filling. Aftermarket slipcovers installed over existing cover fabric are
excluded from this definition.
Cellulosic fabric is made predominately or entirely of natural, plant-based fibers
including cotton, rayon, or viscose. Wool and leather are animal-based materials and do
not fall under this definition.
Thermoplastic fabric is made predominately or entirely of synthetic fibers, including
polyester, polypropylene, nylon, of acrylic.
Upholstery filling is the padding, stuffing, or filling material enclosed by an upholstery
fabric. This material may be used in one or more layers in an item of furniture.
Batting is a fibrous filling material that may be found under the upholstery fabric in most
but not all furniture. It is typically a polyester or cotton wrap or topper (up to about one
inch thick) on a resilient cushion core.
Fire barrier is a fire resistant material that encloses the interior materials of the furniture
and designed to protect the interior materials from combustion. It may be a thin fabriclike layer or a thicker fibrous layer.
Reupholstered furniture is furniture that has been reworked to replace any materials such
as the upholstery fabric, cushions, or upholstery filling. Minor repairs that do not include
the replacement of the upholstery fabric, cushions, or upholstery filling do not constitute
reupholstered furniture.
Slipcover is a removable, fitted cover (fabric or related material) for a chair, sofa, or other
piece of upholstered furniture.
Inside back is the rear wall of the seating area. Not all furniture has an inside back.
Inside arm is the side wall of the seating area. Not all furniture has an inside arm.

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Crevice is the area of contact between the inside arm or inside back and the seat area.
Welt edge is the seam or border edge of a cushion, pillow, arm, or back of an item.
Welt cord is a fabric covered cord, which is generally sewn into the edge of a cushion.
Skirt is the hanging piece of fabric (usually pleated or gathe red) that is attached to the
bottom of a chair or sofa.
Standards and Labels
The following are standards and labels that apply to upholstered furniture.
UFAC (Upholstered Furniture Action Council) Standard: a voluntary standard,
addressing cigarette ignition of upholstery materials. A hang tag displaying conformance
is used for retail display, but there is no permanent label.
California Technical Bulletin (TB) 116: a California standard addressing cigarette
ignition of upholstered furniture. There is a permanent label displaying conformance.
California Technical Bulletin (TB) 117: a California standard addressing cigarette and
small open flame ignition of upholstered furniture. There is a permanent label displaying
conformance.
California Technical Bulletin (TB) 133: a California standard addressing large open
flame ignition of upholstered furniture found in public occupancies. This furniture is
generally not found in household use. There is a permanent label displaying
conformance.

C. Specific Items of Interest
Furniture
We are interested in the type of furniture, its construction, its materials, and its complying
standards. Also, we are interested in the specific location of the ignition. See Section II D
below for details.
Occupants
We are interested in each non-emergency personnel person present in structure during the
fire. In particular, we are interested in their locations, conditions, abilities to escape the
fire, and actions during the fire. See Section II C below for details.

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Ignition source
We are interested in the type of ignition source and how it came in contact with the
upholstered furniture. For cigarettes we are particularly interested in the make and brand.
See Section II D below for details.
Other
Complete relevant appendices on smoke alarms, sprinklers, extinguishers, candles and
lighters.

D. Headquarters Contacts
1. Mark Levenson, EPHA, 301-504-0470, [email protected]
2. Rohit Khanna, ESFS, 301-504-7546, [email protected]

II. Instructions for Collecting Specific Information
A. Synopsis
Provide a summary of the sequence of events that occurred prior to, during, and
subsequent to the fire. Specify type of furniture involved, ignition source, and
descriptions of injuries and deaths.

B. Description of Incident Environment
Pre-incident
Describe the sequence of events that occurred prior to the fire.
Specify the activity and location of each occupant immediately prior to the fire.
Specify the location of the upholstered furniture.
Specify the location of the ignition source prior to coming in contact with furniture, e.g,
candle on table on side of furniture, lighter stored in purse.
Specify the location of any fire safety devices or equipment, e.g., detectors, sprinklers,
extinguishers.
Make use of the diagram requested in Section III below.

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Incident
Describe how the fire occurred.
Specify how the ignition source came in contact with the furniture.
Specify the point of ignition on furniture as precisely as possible.

Post-Incident
Describe the progression of the fire. Although this information may be difficult to obtain,
it is important for the analysis of the investigation. As best as possible include the
following.
Discuss the spread of the fire, flames and smoke, from point of ignition to other parts of
the furniture, to the room of origin, and to the structure. Include a timeline if possible.
Specify initial type of fire, smoldering or flaming. Specify if it changed from smoldering
to flaming, or vice versa, over time.
Specify the actions of alarms, sprinklers present, or any other safety devices or
equipment.
Note if the fire department was notified, and if so by who and at what time.
Make use of the diagram requested in Section III below.

C. Description of Interaction between Injured Person(s) and Product
Describe each occupant and their actions during the fire, including people who may have
entered the structure after the fire began.
Include the following information for each occupant.
Age.
General health, e.g., pre-existing conditions, medications, smoking habits.
Limitations, e.g., very young, very old, physically or mentally handicapped.
Condition, e.g., asleep, intoxicated, under medication.
Outcome, e.g., injured, killed, unharmed.
Location at start of fire.
Describe for each occupant when and how they became aware of fire. Describe the
actions of each occupant after the fire began. e.g., tried to extinguish the fire, re-entered
structure to rescue people, tried to escape room of origin or structure. Note if they
escaped unaided or had help to escape structure.

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Make use of the diagram requested in Section III below.

D. Description of Product
We are interested in both in the upholstered furniture and the ignition source.
Include the following information for the upholstered furniture.
Type, e.g., sofa, chair, ottoman.
Type of upholstery fabric, e.g., thermoplastic, cellulosic, leather.
Filling material, e.g., loose filling, solid foam.
Standards and labels, e.g., UFAC, California TB 117.
Other items on furniture, e.g., pillows, newspapers.
Include the following information for the ignition source.
Type, e.g., cigarette, cigarette lighter, general purpose lighter, match, candle, other.
For cigarettes, make and brand.

III. Photographs/Diagram of Incident Scene
Obtain photographs of the furniture including ignition location, ignition source, and room
with furniture.
Create a diagram of the structure. Include the location of the furniture, the location of all
occupants at the time of the fire, and the extent and type (smoke or flame) of the damage.
Indicate any obstacles to escape.

IV. Obtaining Samples and Documents Related to the
Investigation
Obtain the fire reports, medical reports, and insurance reports.
Samples of upholstery fabric or filling may be requested by headquarters staff at the time
of the investigation assignment.

ATTACH DATA RECORD SHEET

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DATA RECORD SHEET
Product: Upholstered Furniture
Tasknumbe r__________________

Incident Date_______________

A. PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:
1. Type of furniture:
__ Sofa/Couch
__ Chair
__ Sofa bed. Was the bed open? __ Yes
__ Other. Specify __________
__ Unknown

__ No

2. Upholstery fabric
__ Cellulosic
__ Thermoplastic
__ Leather
__ Other. Specify __________
__ Unknown
3. Date of furniture purchase __________
4. Was the furniture purchased new?
__ Yes
__ No
__ Unknown
5. Did the furniture have a slipcover?
__ Yes
__ No
__ Unknown
6. Was the furniture reupholstered?
__ Yes
__ No
__ Unknown
7. Standards, determined by labels
UFAC __ Yes __ No __ Unknown
California TB 116 __ Yes __ No __ Unknown
California TB 117 __ Yes __ No __ Unknown
California TB 133 __ Yes __ No __ Unknown

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__ Unknown

B. FIRE IGNITION ON FURNITURE:
1. Ignition location
__ Seat cushion
__ Inside back
__ Inside arm
__ Underside
__ Outside back
__ Outside side
__ Skirt
__ Welt cord
__ Other. Specify __________
__ Unknown
2. Ignition source
__ Cigarette. Make and brand __________
__ Other smoking materials. Specify __________
__ Cigarette lighter
__ General purpose lighter
__ Match
__ Candle
__ Other. Specify __________
__ Unknown
3. Initial type of fire
__ Flaming
__ Smolding
__ Unknown
4. Was the ignition either deliberate or the unintentional result of play?
__ Yes. Age of person responsible for ignition _____
__ No
__ Unknown

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C. STRUCTURE
1. Was the structure owned or rented by the residents?
__ Owned
__ Rented
__ Unknown
2. Approx imate market value of structure __________
3. Approximate property loss and damage by fire of structure __________
4. Smoke detector present?
__ Yes
__ No. Go to Q6.
__ Unknown
5. Smoke detecter went off (alarmed)?
__ Yes
__ No. Why not? ____________________
__ Unknown
6. Sprinklers present?
__ Yes
__ No. Go to Q8.
__ Unknown
7. Sprinklers went off?
__ Yes
__ No. Why not? ____________________
__ Unknown
8. CO alarm present?
__ Yes
__ No
__ Unknown
9. CO alarm went off?
__ Yes
__ No. Why not? ____________________
__ Unknown
D. OCCUPANTS
Total number of occupants in structure during fire _____

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For each occupant include a completed copy of this page.
Identify each occupant by a unique number. Occupant Number _____
10. Injury Status
__ Unharmed. Go to End.
__ Non-fatal Injured
__ Fatal injury (Go to Q13)

1. Age _____
2. Gender
__ Male
__ Female
__ Unknown

11. Type of Injury
__ Burns
__ Smoke inhalation
__ Other. Specify __________
__ Unknown

2. Handicapped
__ Yes. Specify __________
__ No
__ Unknown

12: Disposition
__ Treated at scene
__ Treated in ER and released
__ Hospitalized
__ Other. Specify __________
__ Unknown

3. On or near furniture at time of ignition?
__ Yes. Go to Q6.
__ No
__ Unknown
4. In room with furniture at time of ignition?
__ Yes. Go to Q6.
__ No
__ Unknown

Go to End.
13. Setting of death
__ Prior to any rescue
__ Post-rescue at scene
__ Post-rescue in transit
__ Post-rescue at hospital
__ Other. Specify __________
__ Unknown

5. In structure at time of ignition?
__ Yes. Go to Q6.
__ No
__ Unknown
6. Special condition at time of ignition? Check
all that apply.
__ Asleep
__ Intoxicated
__ Under medication. Specify __________
__ Other. Specify __________
__ Unknown

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__
__
__
__

Cause of death
Burns
Smoke inhalation
Other. Specify __________
Unknown

End of questions for this occupant.
7. Aware of fire immediately
__ Yes
__ No
__ Unknown
8. Attempted to escape from fire
__ Yes
__ No
__ Unknown
9. Attempted to rescue other
__ Yes
__ No
__ Unknown

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