And within seconds, the entire bed is a ball of flame. He was horrible burned, and today, at 16, he has one wish. But the mattress industry and the federal government agree there should be some kind of open flame standard. A burning basket near one of those kinds of beds does ignite the sheets. But after seven minutes of burning, the mattress itself is barely scorched.
Consumer groups say action is taking too long.
Maybe because, fire resistant mattresses are basically a block of special foam. There are no springs, so they're not as comfortable. The industry says making a comfortable, fireproof mattress that people will buy is easier said than done. Consumer groups don't buy it, saying polyurethane foam is banned in Great Britain and their mattresses are very plush. The Consumer Product Safety Commission is working with mattress makers to develop a standard for more fire resistant mattresses.