INFORMATIONAL PRESS RELEASE
FIRE SAFETY EDITORIAL

This information is being provided in an effort to promote fire prevention and to enhance the public safety of all Vermonters. This fire safety editorial is part of the Division of Fire Safety's continued commitment to our mission to protect the public and the fire service with coordinated efforts in Code Enforcement, Fire Service Training, Public Education, Hazardous Materials and Incident Investigation.

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Fines Paid by Store Owner for Violations of Fire-Safe Cigarette and Cigarette Directory Laws - State Reaches Settlement With Store Owner!

Berlin, VT . . . The Division of Fire Safety, Vermont Department of Public Safety, released information today that the owner of the Nhat Long Market, in Burlington, Vt., has paid $1,500 in fines for the sale of illegal cigarettes that did not meet fire safety standards and were not included in the directory of tobacco products approved for sale in Vermont. The illegal cigarettes were found and confiscated by Department of Liquor Control Investigators earlier this year. The owner has further agreed to verify that cigarettes and roll-your-own tobacco products are included in the directory of tobacco products approved for sale in Vermont before offering the product for sale.

“The fire-safe cigarette law is a new one and a very important one for people in Vermont,” said John Wood, Director of the Division of Fire Safety, “smoking materials are the leading cause of fatal fires in Vermont and this new law will reduce the number of people killed by fire.” Wood said, ”Manufacturers and store owners have been very cooperative in implementing this new law, but, we will continue to work with the Department of Liquor Control and the Attorney General to make sure the new law is being followed.”

This new law went into effect May 1, 2006, and requires that all cigarettes sold or offered for sale in Vermont meet the criteria for fire-safe cigarettes that is currently in place in New York State and Canada, and will soon be in place in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. The new cigarettes are designed to stop burning when left unattended, but otherwise have the same characteristics as other cigarettes. This new law is expected to significantly reduce the number of people killed or injured by fire in Vermont and is designed to limit the risk that a cigarette will ignite upholstered furniture, a mattress, household furnishings or other combustible material.

The directory of tobacco products approved for sale in Vermont is available at http://www.dps.state.vt.us/fire/cigarettes/index.html. Cigarettes on the list have markings on each package, carton and case to indicate the cigarettes meet the fire safety standards.