Fire Blankets

What are fire blankets?

Fire blankets are flame-resistant blankets that can quickly extinguish a small Class F (cooking oil) fire or be used to wrap around someone in a clothing fire. They are ready folded and packed, allowing them to be stored in small areas and kept in good condition. Fire blanket cases also have a quick and easy release design, so they can be accessed fast in an emergency. Fire blankets are fire safety equipment that is designed for single use.

How does a fire blanket work?

The fire blanket is thrown over the small fire, depriving it of oxygen and smothering it before it can get any bigger. Without oxygen, the fire will be extinguished.

What kinds of fires are fire blankets recommended for?

Fire blankets are mainly for dealing with small fires involving cooking oil and other small fires. You can use a fire blanket in conjunction with other fire extinguishing methods, such as fire extinguishers and sprinklers.

As with fire extinguishers, fire blankets should only be used to tackle a small fire at the very earliest stages. If the fire is larger than the fire blanket, evacuate and call the Fire and Rescue Service.

Large industrial kitchens using hot temperature cooking oils should use a specialist Class F fire extinguisher rather than a fire blanket.

What are the benefits of using fire blankets?

There are several benefits of using a fire blanket:

• protecting lives and reducing injuries
• stopping a small fire, to give people time to escape
• stopping the fire before it causes real damage to stock, equipment and buildings
• meeting legal fire safety obligations. Having fire-fighting equipment on the premises is part of an employer’s statutory duty under Fire Regulations. Failure to comply could mean heavy fines as well as reputational damage.

Which fire blankets are available?

All of the fire blankets in the First Mats range meet UK safety standards as Kitemark certified BSEN1869:1997. This shows that they are legitimate, quality fire safety products that meet the necessary Standards to extinguish:

• small hot oil fires in kitchens and cafes
• small bin fires
• other small fires

The First Mats fire blankets are manufactured from double-sided glass cloth and are silicone coated for extra fire-retardancy, in two high performing grades, K40 and premium K100.

We also offer a range of sizes, from 1m x 1m to our largest 1.8m x 1.8m. We suggest choosing one of the larger sizes if you need a fire blanket big enough to wrap around someone, either in a clothing fire or to offer protection while escaping a larger fire.

Our fire blankets are housed either in a wall-mounted red hard case, ideal for industrial environments, or a soft case. Both types:

• protect the fire blanket
• have the BSI Safety Standard ‘fire safety’ colouring (red background with white lettering and graphics)
• include information on emergency use

References

• Fire Safety Standards - BSI Group