UFAC Media Results Impact Millions

Furniture World Magazine

Consumers in the United States this year have had 448 million opportunities to learn about the UFAC voluntary industry program to reduce cigarette ignition of upholstery, and to be encouraged to practice good fire safety habits. The annual UFAC public service announcements produced documented clippings and usage cards showing that newspapers ran 1308 articles in English with 126 million readers; 60 articles in Spanish publications reached over four million readers; radio stations used the message 4481 times on 693 stations in 50 states with 78 million listeners; and television spots appeared on 336 stations with 240 million viewers. Additionally, regular print articles on home furnishings in newspapers as well as textbooks included the UFAC safety message. The circulation of hundreds of videos to universities and grassroots organizations reinforced the impact. The growing use of "safer", UFAC-tagged upholstered furniture, plus the concentrated media effort to inform consumers of the hazards of careless smoking, contributed to a decrease of 77% in cigarette ignition of upholstered furniture from 1978 to 1995. For more information on UFAC, e-mail them at  UFACRE@aol.com