Prevent Winter Fires with Simmons' 'Fire-Resistant Mattress' That Does Not Catch Fire Easily

Simmons Applies Flame-Retardant Mattresses to All Home Products

Due to the sudden drop in temperature, household fire accidents are occurring one after another. In particular, as fires caused by electric blankets frequently occur, Simmons Bed's 'flame-retardant mattress,' which is resistant to fire, is gaining attention.

According to the Fire Agency, there have been about 670 fire incidents related to electric blankets in the past three years, resulting in 14 deaths and approximately 90 injuries.

Recently, in an apartment in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, a fire broke out after leaving an electric blanket on while going out, causing about 30 neighboring residents to evacuate in a commotion. Investigation revealed that the fire in the living room started from a latex mattress placed on top of the living room electric blanket.

As a result, flame-retardant mattresses are drawing attention. Flame-retardant mattresses do not easily catch fire even if a fire occurs, preventing the indoor space from being engulfed in explosive flames known as 'flashover.'

Comparison of mattress fire tests. (Photo by Simmons)

In an actual experiment, a regular latex mattress's flames grew and required forced extinguishing after 4 minutes and 8 seconds. Following that, a spring mattress was forcibly extinguished after 4 minutes and 38 seconds, and a memory foam mattress after 7 minutes and 11 seconds.

On the other hand, Simmons' flame-retardant mattress naturally extinguished the flames one minute after ignition, showing high resistance to fire. This flame-retardant mattress minimizes fire risk by incorporating flame-retardant features not only on the mattress top but also on the anti-slip nonwoven fabric on the sides and bottom, and even on the sewing thread and seam tape, covering all parts of the mattress.

As part of its ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) management, Simmons has proactively produced all its domestic household mattresses as flame-retardant mattresses?the first and only in Korea?since 2018. In 2020, it obtained a patent related to the manufacturing method of flame-retardant mattresses. Recently, it has contributed to spreading indoor fire safety culture in Korea by publicly sharing this patent for the public good.

Professor Kim Hyung-doo of the Department of Fire Administration at Wonkwang University explained, "Bedrooms contain many combustible materials, and due to toxic gases emitted from beds and bedding, there are many fatalities. Especially, mattresses cover a large area and have air layers, so the speed at which flames spread is very fast."