PHILADELPHIA -
"At first I had felt like I failed
the Albrechts. But then later come to realize that we didn't fail, we didn't
fail at all."
It happened twelve years ago, but
it's still hard for Roxbury, New Jersey firefighter Adam Alberti to talk about
the day he raced into a north Jersey home searching for two
toddlers.
The house belonged to Jaki Albrecht.
Her 14 month-old twins, Matthew and Mary were trapped upstairs by a fire that
started when a spark from an electrical outlet ignited a mattress in Matthew's
room.
"The smoke was so heavy and so dark
and so black," Albrecht recalls. "It looked like it was nighttime going up the
stairs."
"I was feeling around inside the
crib and there he was," Alberti said. "I grabbed him. I was like,
wow!"
Alberti got Matthew out, but four
days later the toddler died from smoke inhalation.
"That was a rough day, that was a
rough day," Alberti remembers.
Matthew's death was the inspiration
for "The Matthew Albrecht Act," a New Jersey law that gives fire officials the
power to enforce the federal government's tough open flame
standard.
Under the requirement established in
2007, mattresses can catch fire, but they can not become fully involved. The
less intense flames give people time to discover the fires and escape. All new
and used mattresses must have labels indicating they can pass the test.
"That extra minute could save a
life, that extra lack of burn time could save a life," Albrecht
says.
We found out first hand just how
dangerous non-compliant bedding can be when we put an open flame to several
mattresses we bought recently in New Jersey and
Philadelphia.
In just minutes, two of the three
beds became raging infernos.
Our tests were not scientific, but
they did catch the eye of Montgomery County State Representative, Mike Vereb,
who says it's about time slipshod mattress makers in the Keystone State feel the
heat.
"We have to deter these people from
coming in and selling this type of illicit product to our consumers," Vereb
says.
Vereb wants Pennsylvania to have a
law like "The Matthew Albrecht Act. He says state inspectors don't have the time
or resources to police every store looking to see if refurbished mattresses are
sanitized and properly labeled.
"The fire is horrifying," Vereb
says. "To see the difference between right and wrong, these people, these
vendors, these companies know the difference between right and wrong and knowing
it's wrong and selling to a consumer, is nothing short of homicide if someone
dies."
Our reports also had an affect on a
north Philly mattress dealer. Jay Gold is President of Mattress Surplus, one of
three stores we visited recently with a hidden camera looking to see is used
mattresses were correctly labeled.
Gold says after our investigation he
decided to remove every mattress in his store that was not properly tagged. The
bedding was carted off to a recycling center.
Gold says he'll take a loss, but he
doesn't want to take chances with the public's safety. He says filthy, unsafe
mattresses are being sold all across Philadelphia. He says he welcomes tougher
laws and tougher enforcement.
"The fire department can help
because they have the manpower and from what I understand, the federal
government doesn't have the manpower to cover, you know, every city in every
state, so that would be great if it happens."
Again, Vereb says he'll introduce
legislation this fall. Any action on the bill, however, is not likely until
early next year.
