Daily Doc: TI, 1981: The problem of fire-scarred victims
Daily Doc: The problem of fire-scarred victims
Title: Appendix B: Elements of Positive Strategy - New Initiatives for Industry Action
TI, 1981
Bates #:04330334/0378
September 28, 2000
The tobacco industry is aware of the sizable contribution that cigarettes make to the death rate from fires in the U.S. They also know that when fires occur people tend to start looking around for causes (or "culprits"). Commenting on the amount of attention the media pays to fires this country, the Tobacco Institute in this 1981 document even remarks on the high fire death rate in the U.S.:
"With all of the attention afforded to fire in this country, it is remarkable that the United States has the highest fire death rate of virtually any nation on earth."The Institute also noted that fire officials were starting to support legislation requiring self-extinguishing cigarettes, as revealed in this clause:
"Of the many causes of fire, careless cigarette smoking seems to have increasingly caught the attention of politicians and journalists. The solution they and some fire officials propose is the creation of a self-extinguishing cigarette. Bills have been submitted at the federal level and in several state legislatures. As an issue, cigarette-related fires continue to rise in prominence...."The industry fought fire-safe cigarette proposals, stating that such changes would "unduly [affect] the nature of the product." They proposed instead that all furniture manufacturers make fire-resistant furniture. They astutely recognized, though, the power that fire victims command in the news media and legislative hearings:
"Neither industry response has been particularly effective in offsetting fire scarred victims interviewed by the news media and paraded before legislative committees."If the industry appeared to lack somewhat in empathy for the victims of cigarette fires, though, they nevertheless realized they had a formidable legislative problem on their hands, concluding that
"A strong, visible, positive tobacco industry effort -- at this time -- is needed to reverse the trend toward self-extinguishing cigarette legislation."With that, the tobacco industry embarked on a vast public relations campaign to create the appearance of concern about fire safety, particularly to legislators. The campaign propsed PR activities like putting out "fire safety calendar" in conjunction with local fire service agencies urging people, for example, to take care around their Christmas trees. Less known to the public, however, was that the campaign included giving extraordinary levels of financial support to firefighting agencies nationwide. The campaign was highly successful, ultimately buying the silence of the fire service industry on the subject of self-extinguishing cigarettes, and turning fire service agencies nationwide into allies for the tobacco industry when it came to heading off fire-safe cigarette legislation.
CITATION
Title: Appendix B: Elements of Positive Strategy - New Initiatives for Industry Action
Type of Document: Report, Agenda, Outline
Author Corporate author, the Tobacco Institute Recipient: N/A
Date: 19810000/E
Site: Lorillard Tobacco Co. document site http://www.lorillarddocs.com/
Length: 45 pages
Bates No. 04330334/0378
URL: http://my.tobaccodocuments.org/tdo/view.cfm?CitID=383216&GetListArrayIdx=1&ShowImages=yes
Litigation Usage: None yet
Thanks to: Ross Hammond of San Francisco for recommending this document
QUOTES
PROGRAMS THAT ADDRESS IMMEDIATE CONCERNS:
Fire Safety Education
The prevention and the fighting of fires is principally a matter of public safety.
But it is the nature of fire to produce controversy, heroes, culprits and victims. Fire is often the focus of politicians and journalists assigning blame, scientists attempting to establish cause, educators hoping to promote public awareness, labor officials seeking more resources, and volunteers seeking more volunteers. Insurance companies lead a wide range of businesses concerned about the property and lives lost to fire.
With all of the attention afforded to fire in this country, it is remarkable that the United States has the highest fire death rate of virtually any nation on earth.
Of the many causes of fire, careless cigarette smoking seems to have increasingly caught the attention of politicians and journalists. The solution they and some fire officials propose is the creation of a self-extinguishing cigarette. Bills have been submitted at the federal level and in several state legislatures. As an issue, cigarette-related fires continue to rise in prominence....
To date, the industry response has been twofold:
1) The industry has said it can not make a self-extinguishing cigarette without unduly affecting the nature of the product, and that some substances will ignite even with a casual brush with a lit cigarette.
2) The industry had also worked with the nation's furniture manufacturers to promote fire resistant furniture...
Neither industry response has been particularly effective in offsetting fire scarred victims interviewed by the news media and paraded before legislative committees.
A strong, visible, positive tobacco industry effort -- at this time -- is needed to reverse the trend toward self-extinguishing cigarette legislation.
There are factors which suggest that firefighters would be willing to work with us.
1) With the phasing out of the U.S. Fire Safety Administration, firefighters have lost a major national voice in the effort to diminish accidental fire losses.
2) Public funds are growing scarce. Firefighters must compete vigorously for financial support....
3) Firefighters are not anti-smokers per se. They are legitimately concerned about fire safety and should respond favorably to an effective program of fire safety proposed by the tobacco industry...
POSSIBLE INDUSTRY EFFORTS:
...1) Fire Safety Education...by way of example, we would suggest the following. The campaign would feature a calendar. Each month would, in turn, display the fire hazards most typically found at that time of year. In that way, consumers would be reminded -- say, in December -- to decorate their Christmas tree safely, ensure a clean chimney, check their wood burning stove and look out for inebriated friends with cigarettes at holiday parties....The campaigns would have as its theme: "The Tobacco Institute and your local fire department bring you a safe December."...
2) Support of Firefighters
While firefighters are greatly concerned about safety, they are at least equally concerned about job security...
The industry could play a somewhat low key role in helping firefighters in such areas....
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