Product Description

This video reflects the many changes in legislation, furniture manufacture, fire-fighting techniques, and contents of a typical front room since ’The Front Room Fire’ was filmed over ten years ago.
The sort of polyurethane foam-filled furniture as used in the original video is no longer available in high street shops following amendments to the Furniture Regulations in 1989 and 1990.
The source of ignition was a tea-light candle containing two dead matches, pushed up against the television set. The room was designed to represent a typical modern front room; the sofa and chairs used complied with current furniture regulations and increased use of electrical equipment was reflected with the inclusion of a VCR, a satellite box and a stereo, along with CDs and video tapes. It was important to include CDs and videos as fire brigade investigations have shown that these can be a significant factor in some domestic fires and have contributed to an overall increase in fire-load in the home in recent years. There were also a number of candles in the room, as they are currently very fashionable and frequently used in TV home-style programmes.
This fire took 18 minutes to reach the full involvement comparable to 3 minutes in the original video. This confirms how much the furniture regulations have slowed fire development in sofas and armchairs. The tube in the television survived for 8.5 minutes before imploding and spreading the fire. (Video length - 10 minutes)