New Fire Barrier to Give Consumers a Safer Night’s Sleep

Furniture World Magazine

Precision Custom Coatings LLC (www.pcc-usa.com), a US-based producer and supplier of non-woven and coated fabrics for the apparel industry and industrial market applications, has developed and is now marketing Precision Flame Protection (PFP), a non-woven flame retardant product that meets the most stringent standards for mattress flammability anywhere in the country. Precision Flame Protection has been tested by Underwriters Laboratories (UL), the preeminent independent and trusted, not-for-profit source for product safety and compliance testing, and was found to have met the specifications established in Technical Bulletin (TB) 603. Technical Bulletin 603 is a fire-safety standard of the California Bureau of Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation (BHFTI), the most stringent standard for mattress flammability in the country. Precision Flame Protection is also already compliant with federal regulations set in advance of The Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) new national open flame standard for mattress flammability and fire-resistant upholstered furniture, set to take effect in 2007. These standards require that all new mattresses provide protection against an open flame that could otherwise cause the product to ignite and burn intensely. Precision Flame Protection fabric can be wrapped around the foam core of the mattress and can rest behind the outer layer of fabric, effectively cutting off the fire from the main fuel source. The polyurethane foam found in conventional mattresses is highly flammable. When exposed to an open flame, the foam quickly catches fire, producing intense flames accompanied by high levels of heat and smoke, causing the fire to, within minutes, spread to the surrounding room and its contents. The initial thick smoke before igniting can disable victims and tragically prevent their escape. According to the CPSC, from 1995 through 1999, mattresses and bedding were the first items to ignite in approximately 19,400 residential fires each year, resulting in an estimated 440 deaths, 2,230 injuries, and nearly $274 million in property loss annually. Tests have shown that with the use of Precision Flame Protection, the material allows for charring, but significantly resists igniting, and results in much less heat and smoke release for a period of over 30 minutes, providing ample time for fire victims to become alert to the fire and escape to safety. “Our goal was to develop a product that meets current and anticipated mattress legislation, provides significant flame retardance, and offers the quality that Precision Custom Coatings is known for,” said Scott Tesser, president of Precision Custom Coatings. “We’re proud to have developed a flame retardant product that satisfies UL testing and offers consumers peace of mind along with a safer night’s sleep. Our capability to produce this product, and others, from fiber to finish, all under one roof, provides comfort to our customers. It is also comforting to know that they are both receiving a reliable product from a single, responsible source, and are at the same time realizing a cost savings resulting from our production efficiencies.” With corporate headquarters and production facilities in Totowa, New Jersey, offices in Asia, and over 35 distribution centers around the globe, Precision Custom Coatings is a key supplier of non-woven and coated fabrics to the automotive, healthcare, home furnishings, geotextiles, footwear, luggage, food packaging, medical, protective clothing, and apparel industries. The Company, founded in 1987 and a recipient of ISO 9001 certification in March 2001, has invested significantly in capital equipment to expand its capacity to manufacture fabrics for industrial applications. Precision Custom Coatings’ corporate offices are located at 200 Maltese Drive, Totowa, New Jersey 07512-1404. For more information about Precision Custom Coatings LLC, please visit www.pcc-usa.com.