A fire blanket is a safety device designed to extinguish incipient fires. It consists of a sheet of a fire retardant material which is placed over a fire in order to smother it. Small fire blankets, such as for use in kitchens and around the home are usually made of fiberglass and sometimes kevlar, and are folded into a quick-release contraption for ease of storage. Fire blankets, along with fire extinguishers, are fire safety items that can be useful in case of a fire. These nonflammable blankets are helpful in temperatures up to 900 degrees and are useful in smothering fires by not allowing any oxygen to the fire. Due to its simplicity, a fire blanket may be more helpful for someone who is inexperienced with fire extinguishers. Larger fire blankets, for use in laboratory and industrial situations, are often made of wool. These blankets are usually mounted in vertical quick-release container so that they can be easily pulled out and wrapped round a person whose clothes are on fire.
Dangers
Asbestos in old blankets
Some older fire blankets were made of woven asbestos fibers and are not NFPA rated. This can pose a hazard during the decommissioning of old equipment.
Extinguishing oil/fat fires
After initial investigation in 2013, and later in 2014, the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority issued a statement that fire blankets should never be used to extinguish an oil/fat fire such as a chip pan fire, even if the icons or text on the blanket indicates the blanket may be used in such a case. This includes fire blankets which have been tested according to BS EN 1869. In the investigation out of the 22 tested fire blankets, 16 of the fire blankets themselves caught fire. In the other 6 the fire reignited when the blanket was removed after 17 minutes. The Dutch Fire Burn foundation reported several accidents involving the use of fire blankets when extinguishing oil/fat fires. Consumers may send in their existing fire blankets, which will then receive a sticker stating 'niet geschikt voor olie- en vetbranden'. New products will have this text printed, rather than stickered.
Operation
For a fire to burn, all three elements of the fire triangle must be present: heat, fuel and oxygen. The fire blanket is used to cut off the oxygen supply to the fire, thereby putting it out. The fire blanket must be sealed closely to a solid surface around the fire. Fire blankets usually have two pull down tails visible from outside the packaging. The user should place one hand on each tag and pull down simultaneously removing the blanket from the bag. The tails are located near the top of the fire blanket which allows the top lip of the fire blanket to fold back over the users' hands, protecting them from heat and direct contact burns. Cover the fire with the fire blanket, and it will help cut the oxygen supply and extinguish the fire. You can also use this method when a part of the body catches fire. The fire blanket must be sealed closely to a solid surface around the fire.
Maintenance
The Fire Industry Association publish a "Code of Practice for the Commissioning and Maintenance of Fire Blankets Manufactured to BS EN 1869". The FIA's code of practice recommends that the responsible person ensures that such fire blankets are subject to annual maintenance by a competent service provider. It also recommends that consideration should be given to the replacement of fire blankets after seven years from the date of commissioning.
