So, I’m sitting in my doctor’s office, waiting for one of his hot young nurses to take my blood pressure. I was looking for something- anything- to keep my mind off my impending surgery. As I was about to latch onto a magazine, my attention drifted to a tag on the base of one of the chairs in the exam room. Normally, I don’t pay attention to such things…you know, the “DO NOT REMOVE UNDER PAIN OF DEATH” tags, but this one was different:
NOTICE: This article meets the flammability requirements of California Bureau of Home Furnishings Technical Bulletin 117. Care should be exercised near open flame or with burning cigarettes.
WTF? You can’t really expect me to believe that there is actually a California Bureau of Home Furnishings? Can you? Well, guess what, kids; there actually IS a California Bureau of Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation. And you wonder why so much of the country wouldn’t be all that upset were the entire state of California to slide into the ocean….
How’s this for a mission statement?
The Bureau of Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation regulates upholstered furniture and bedding products sold in California to make sure they meet health, fire safety, and labeling standards.
Yeah, and if they didn’t perform this vital work then the terrorists would win, eh??
Of course, not being one to denigrate the work of our brave and valiant public servants, I recognize that the folks at CBHFTI serve as the last defense against substandard bedding that may spontaneously combust at any time.
The Bureau of Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation (BHFTI) is part of the California Department of Consumer Affairs. BHFTI enforces the Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation Act, which protects consumers of upholstered furniture, bedding, and thermal insulation.
A fundamental requirement of the Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation Act is the licensing and inspection of businesses that manufacture and sell upholstered furniture, bedding and thermal insulation. The Bureau also enforces other regulations required by the Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation Act, such as health and safety standards, product labeling requirements, and truth in advertising laws.
BHFTI enforces safety standards by testing products at its laboratory facilities in Sacramento.
Yep, we may not have a clue as to how to prevent the next terrorist attack, but thank GOD my bedding won’t spontaneously combust tonight. Oh, wait…I don’t live in California. Well, so much for sleeping safely and confidently tonight, eh?
