A study by NIST (US National Institute for Science and Technology) shows that “escape times” (time between start of a fire and reaching untenable conditions or flashover) have dropped drastically. The tests confirmed that fire tests on both chairs and mattresses (non flame retarded) reaching “untenable conditions” in rooms was after just 3 minutes. This study confirmed that the increasing fire load of consumer products and home decorations is effectively making home fires increasingly dangerous, to a point where fire alarms sounding will often not provide adequate time for occupants to escape.

‘Fire safety of upholstered furniture, A Life-Cycle Assessment – Summary Report’ by the SP Swedish National Testing and Research Institute
Here you will find a selection of case study reports which compare the overall environmental impact of using or not using flame retardants in domestic upholstered furniture, taking account in the Life Cycle Assessment the impact of accidental fires.

    http://www.sp.se/sv/units/fire/Documents/Rapporter/LCA_Summary.pdf

Also the National Institute of Science and Technology looks at different scenarios and fire experiment results.

    http://www.fire.nist.gov/fire/fires/fires.html

Refer also to other references :

Brand in huis “Overleven of overlijden” October 2011 (Summary in english) Download

Efectis Nederland report (2010) C.C.M. Steinhage, R.J.M. van Mierlo, Reaction to fire testing sofas, 2010-Efectis-R0158, Nov. 2010

Greenstreet Berman Ltd, A statistical report to investigate the effectiveness of the Furniture and Furnishings (fire) (safety) Regulations 1988, Dec. 2009

Kobes, M. Groenewegen, K. &Winkelhorst, R. (publication presse en 2009) Fatale woningbranden 2008. NIFV, Arnhem, The Netherlands. [Fatal domestic fires 2008]

CPSC (2008) US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Staff Assessment of Cigarette Ignition Risk - Mehta, S

LNE (2008) Chivas, C., Barbosa, V., Guillaume, E., Sainrat, A., Etude sur les effets de l’ignifugation de certainsmeublesrembourrésdans le cadre d’un projet de réglementation relative à la sécuritéincendie – Fiche Nr. 2332007 – Projet R&D 27EAF6707

Chevallier, C., Etude socio-économique et juridiquepréalable au projet de décretsur les normes de sécuritéincendie des meublesrembourrés, février 2006, sous la responsabilité de M. J.-H. Lorenzi, membre du Conseild’AnalyseEconomiqueplacéauprès du Premier Ministre.

CTIF (2006) World Fire Statistics, Report Nr. 10, Centre of Fire Statistics of CTIF, Belgium

ISSeP (2006) Incendies de meublesrembourréset de materlas: étudebibliographique, HervéBreulet, InstitutScientifique de Service Public, ISSeP, Belgique.

A. Elmsley, L. Lim, G. Stevens, P. Williams, « International fire statistics and the potential benefits of fire counter-measures », Polymer Research Centre, Dept. Mathematics and Statistics, Université de Surrey, mai 2005.

Holborn, P.G., Nolan P.F., Golt J. (2003) An analysis of fatal unintentional dwelling fires investigated by London Fire Brigade between 1996 and 2000, Fire Safety Journal 38:1-42

DTI (2000) Effectiveness of furniture and furnishing (fire) (safety) regulations 1988, University of Surrey for the UK Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), ref. URN/783, Juin 2000