What is a fire blanket used for?

Fire blanket is used to smother and extinguish small fires. By covering a small fire with your fire blanket, you can stop oxygen from feeding the fire. Cutting off the oxygen supply with a fire blanket can be an easy way to stop a small fire from spreading.

When should you not use a fire blanket?

Do not use a fire blanket to try to extinguish a fire that is larger than the size of the blanket you have. If the blanket won’t fully cover the fire, it won’t successfully extinguish it. For fires which are larger than the approximate size of your fire blanket, use a suitable fire extinguisher such as a water, CO2, foam or powder extinguisher depending on the type of fire.

Fire blankets are typically used in food preparation areas and are most suitable for cooking fat and oil fires , flammable liquids fires and fire fuelled by solid materials such as plastic, wood, paper, textiles and furniture . For electrical fires and combustible metal fires do not use a fire blanket: instead, use a CO2 or dry powder extinguisher respectively.

Does a fire blanket really work?

Provided you follow the guidance above fire blankets are a highly effective fire-fighting tool. They are also very easy for anyone to use, and someone who is inexperienced with a fire extinguisher will likely feel confident using a fire blanket when suitable instead.