Fire Blankets

A fire blanket is a safety device designed to extinguish incipient (starting) fires and along with fire extinguishers are useful in the event of a fire. 

They consist of a sheet of fire retardant material which is placed over a fire to smother it. They are effective against temperatures up to 900^oC and are simple to use, so can be a useful alternative for people who are not trained to use fire extinguishers.

Small fire blankets, such as for use in kitchens and around the home are usually made of fibreglass and sometimes Kevlar. Larger fire blankets for use in laboratories are often made of wool (treated with a flame retardant fluid), and can be wrapped around a person whose clothes are on fire.

Using A Fire Blanket

1. Turn off the heat source if it is safe to do so
2. Pull the tapes to release the fire blanket from its box
3. Hold the blanket in a shield position and, if possible, wrap the blanket around your hands for protection
4. Place the fire blanket over the fire to smother the flames