A bill has passed through both chambers of the state legislature requiring that only fire-safe cigarettes be sold in Tennessee.

After passing the House by an overwhelming margin on April 10 and receiving final approval from the Senate on Thursday, the "Fire Safety Standard and Firefighter Protection Act" is now headed to the desk of Gov. Phil Bredesen to be signed into law.

"Unattended cigarettes are the leading cause of home fire fatalities each year in this country. That's a preventable cause that we simply cannot continue to ignore," said Senate Speaker Pro Tempore Rosalind Kurita. "Fire-safe cigarettes cut off the burning time before most cigarettes are able to ignite furniture, bedding material, and other similar items."

Fire-safe cigarettes are produced to have a reduced propensity to burn when left unattended. They are made from a special paper that contains "speed bumps." These areas of increased thickness extinguish the cigarettes when air is not pulled through them. Unattended cigarettes burn out when the flame hits the speed bumps.

The new law only allows the sale of cigarettes in Tennessee that have been manufactured by companies that use fire-safe cigarette paper.

Manufacturers will be required to maintain records of testing, and the Tennessee Fire Marshall will review the program to determine its effectiveness.

Statistics from the state Fire Marshall's office show that from 2000-04, 36 Tennesseans died and 53 were injured in fires caused by smoking materials. During this period, 800 smoking-related residential fires caused over $13 million in property damage.

"Fire-safe cigarettes have the potential to save lives and save money," Speaker Kurita said. "This is a common-sense step in fire prevention."

Thursday's action completes over a year's worth of work on the "Fire Safety Standard and Firefighter Protection Act."

Speaker Kurita introduced the bill in February 2007 and it initially passed the Senate in May of that year.

The bill is supported by the Tennessee Fire Chiefs Association, the Tennessee Fire Safety Inspectors Association, the Tennessee Fire and Codes Academy, and the Coalition for Fire-Safe Cigarettes. The House companion bill was carried by Rep. Gary Moore, D-Joelton.

New York, Vermont, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire have all mandated the sale of fire-safe cigarettes. Over 20 other states are currently considering such legislation.