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Cigarettes sold in Illinois must be manufactured in a way that makes them more likely to go out if a smoker stops puffing on them...

Lives could be saved, Peoria-area firefighters say, by a new self-extinguishing cigarette that will be mandatory in Illinois next year.

"I think they would reduce the amount of fires that occur in Peoria or around the country," said Greg Walters, division chief of the Peoria Fire Department.

On Jan. 1, cigarettes sold in Illinois must be manufactured in a way that makes them more likely to go out if a smoker stops puffing on them.

Supporters of the new state law say unattended cigarettes that can douse themselves are less likely to cause fires, so lives will be saved.

The General Assembly and Gov. Rod Blagojevich approved the measure in 2006 but delayed its effective date to Jan. 1, 2008, in part to give manufacturers enough time to prepare for it, said state Rep. Donald Moffitt, R-Gilson, one of the main legislative supporters of the plan.

The new law, while "an outstanding idea," is not yet well known among the general public, Moffitt said. "It's kind of like it was so far off in the future when it was passed that people didn't think about it."

One person now trying to spread the word is Jamie Evans, fire prevention officer for the Pekin Fire Department. Evans said he has stopped by more than a dozen gas stations in Pekin and found that most of the clerks and attendants "have no idea of this law."

Evans said the law's potential effect became particularly clear early this year, when two house fires killed three.

Pekin residents. Firefighters believe smoking materials could have caused both blazes.

"For a town of 32,000 to have three fire deaths in 46 days was a lot of fire deaths," he said.

Tobacco manufacturers say they're ready to comply with the new Illinois law, as they have in other states with similar laws. But the manufacturers don't necessarily support such laws.

"We have opposed legislation that has been considered. Bottom line, because we feel that there are probably more effective ways to go about addressing the issue," said David Howard, spokesman for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.

He cited smoke detectors and flame-retardant fabrics as ways to reduce the incidence of fires caused by smoking materials.

The self-extinguishing cigarettes also are sometimes referred to as "low-ignition" or as "fire-safe," a term that not everyone likes because it might encourage carelessness.

"They are not fire-safe," Howard said. "They're still lit, they're still ignited, and they still burn when used."

Walters said smokers can't abandon personal responsibility with the new cigarettes and will still have to be careful, but said the self-extinguishing design will help prevent accidental fires.

"I think it's worthy," he said. "It's not going to stop everything. That's not the point."

Walters said 10 to 15 fires were started last year in Peoria because of carelessness with smoking materials. Those fires included everything from grass and garbage can fires to building fires.

"To me it's a sizeable amount," which is an amount that can be lowered with the new technology, Walters said. "I truly believe anything to reduce fire would eventually reduce the loss of life."

The tobacco company spokesmen said smokers should not notice a difference in taste with the self-extinguishing cigarettes.

"The blend, the tobacco, is not changed at all," Howard said.

Whether the new law will cause the price of cigarettes to rise in Illinois remains to be seen. Already, state legislators are considering increasing the tax on cigarettes by 90 cents a pack, a move many retailers say will devastate their business.

Manufacturers said they don't expect to increase prices.

"These cigarettes do cost more to manufacture because of the paper, but that is not a cost we have passed on to consumers," Howard said.

Anyone who knowingly sells cigarettes that don't comply with the law next year could face civil penalties of $500 or more.

John Fennell, chief legal counsel for the state fire marshal's office, a key backer of the new law, said his office is writing the administrative rules that spell out how the measure will be enforced.

Fennell noted that sellers of cigarettes will be given time to get rid of their existing supply before they must start selling self-extinguishing cigarettes.

"How long that's going to take is anybody's guess," he said.