With cigarettes as a leading cause of house fires, andMississippi ranked one of the highest in the nation for firedeaths, the “fireproof” cigarettes that will be sold by law in Julyare expected to be a positive step in the fight against loss oflife and property.

Mississippi State Chief Deputy Fire Marshal Ricky Davis said the”Fire Standard Compliant” (FSC) cigarettes that most outlets arealready selling and all will be required to sell by July 1 are notactually fireproof, but do reduce the risk of a fire starting froma burning cigarette.

“The theory is that everything we can do to reduce that chanceof having a fire, that’s what we’re trying to do,” Davis said.”What the FSC cigarette is designed to do is, say if someone’slying in bed or on a couch and they go to sleep, the cigarette isdesigned to go out if you’re not puffing on it or if it’s notactively being smoked.”

Local tobacco stores have already started putting the FSCcigarettes on their shelves, and smokers are giving mixedreactions.

“I’m a chain smoker anyway,” said Larnelle Jones, of Brookhaven.”I don’t stop taking drags long enough for it to go out on me.”

But others don’t feel as positively about the new smokes, someciting constantly having to re-light them.

“Some people don’t like that the cigarette goes out and you haveto light it again,” said Tobacco Mart employee Kimberly Hood.

And, she said, some people think they have a funny taste.

But Davis said there’s no evidence that there really is adifferent taste to the fire safe cigarettes.

“I’m not a smoker so I don’t know for sure, but from all theinformation I’ve been able to gather there should be no differencebecause it’s not any different chemicals,” he said. “I have beentold by the manufacturers that there’s nothing taken away or addedto change that cigarette from the regular cigarette except athicker band of paper.”

Some people didn’t even know there was a change. Jamie Smith ofLoyd Star said he had no idea that new standards are going intoeffect, nor had he noticed a difference in his cigarettes.

“I guess that means I’m smoking them right,” he said with alaugh.

Davis also pointed out that Mississippi is not alone in bringingin the new, safer way of smoking. He said there are quite a fewother states that also have made the FSC cigarettes the law.

“Several other states had come up with this and we found outabout it and certainly with our high death rate we wanted to takeevery preventive caution we can,” he said. “The first state was NewYork that came up with it. Most of the states have it in placenow.”

According to the U.S. Fire Administration and National Fire DataCenter, smoking is the fifth most frequent cause of residentialfire nationally, as well as the leading cause of fire deaths andthe second-most common cause of fire-related injuries.

“It’s just that we’re trying to reduce the loss of life andproperty,” Davis said. “Of course Mississippi was ranked one of thehighest in the nation for fire deaths, and we’re trying real hardto reduce fire deaths. This is something we should do, somethingI’m passionate about doing.”

Meanwhile, cigarette outlets have to have nothing but FSCcigarettes on the shelves by July 1. Smith said that’s OK withhim.

“If it means I’m less likely to catch my back seat on firetrying to throw a cigarette butt out the window, I’m fine with it,”he said.