What Is A Fire Blanket and How Do You Use It?…
Fire can be extremely deadly, capable of consuming everything in its path. Whether at home or in restaurants, the risk of a fire starting in the kitchen is inherent. It goes without saying, that you need to be exceptionally careful when you are working near fire. You need to be equipped to smother small fires that may start in your kitchen. The best thing for kitchen fire suppression to have in your kitchen is a fire blanket.
What is a Fire Blanket?
It is a blanket made of flame proof substances, like woven glass fiber or Kevlar, and are layered with fire-retardant film. These blankets cut off the oxygen supply to the fire, helping to extinguish it. An emergency fire blanket can also help to if a person’s clothes have caught fire, in addition to putting out small fires in specific locations. These refer to contained fires like chip pan fires in a kitchen, barbecues, paper fires in an office, and engine compartment fires. Fire blankets can also be used to wrap around children and adults to evacuate them safely from places that are on fire.
It must be kept in mind however, that fire blankets are not capable of extinguishing fires that are spreading and turning your place into a towering inferno, but it can make your restaurant or home kitchen a safer place. The unfortunate thing is that most people don’t realize that about 80% of fires can be put out swiftly and easily with fire extinguishing devices, provided you catch them in the initial stages, before they become dangerous.
A fire blanket is not a replacement for a normal fire extinguisher; it is prudent to have a fire extinguisher on hand for bigger fires, or for those which don’t originate in the kitchen. Fire blankets are available in various sizes. You should check which size is optimal for your requirements based on the size of your kitchen, stove, and so on.
A fire blanket is specifically designed to put out class F fires, which are caused by fats and oils. As these substances combust, they can reach very high temperatures, making ordinary fire extinguishers ineffective against them. A fire blanket however can smother such fires easily.
You should also remember that a fire blanket is not designed for reuse; it’s a one-time use equipment only. If you use a fire blanket to put out a fire, make sure you get a new one to replace it so that you can extinguish a fire should it happen again.
How to Use a Fire Blanket Effectively
Now that you know what is a fire blanket, let’s take a look at how to use it. Merely having a fire blanket on the premises is useless unless your employees (or family members if using at home) know how to use it properly in the event of a fire. It is mandatory to have fire protection equipment in every workplace; it is critical in a place where there are open fires, furnaces, and the like. If you run a commercial kitchen, you must install a fire blanket in the cooking area.
The right fire extinguishing device can help protect your premises, equipment, and people, avoiding harm, expenditure, and legal trouble.
Putting out a Fire with a fire blanket
When you are sure that the fire is a Class F fire, use a fire blanket to smother the flame. It is vital that everyone who works in that area knows exactly how to use it properly so that you can avoid harm. Just follow these steps:
- Provided it is safe to do so, turn off the source of the heat
- You will find two tabs at the bottom of the blanket’s packaging. To release the blanket, you must pull sharply once on both tabs at the same time.
- Roll the blanket’s edge over your hands by holding it in front of you, to protect your hands.
- By ensuring that your hands and face are away from the flame, gently put the blanket over the flame; make sure not to throw it on the fire.
- The blanket should be placed on the fire from the nearest edge of the flame so that the fire does not run up the far side and come onto your hands.
- If you hadn’t been able to turn off the heat source at the beginning, you should do it at this stage.
- Let the blanket remain on the heat source for at least 15 to 30 minutes, and make sure that not only has the flame been smothered entirely, but that the heat is also dispersed.
- Next, you must get out of the building, and call the fire brigade, as it is always wise to get a professional assessment of the situation, even if the fire has been extinguished. There could be a risk of a secondary fire from a slow burning ember, or so.
Always remember to exit the building if you feel at risk at any time during the entire process, and call emergency services. Look for the closest egress and remove yourself and coworkers if any from a potentially risky situation.
How to Use a Fire Blanket on a Person
Fire blankets can be used if a person’s clothes have caught fire. You can help prevent severe burns and painful injuries by wrapping that individual in the fire blanket. These are the steps you should follow in the event of a clothing fire:
- Release the blanket from its packaging by tugging simultaneously on the two tabs at the bottom.
- Roll the fabric around your hands to protect them before you approach the fire.
- Quickly wrap the blanket around the individual whose clothes have caught fire.
- Make sure the fire is completely covered by rolling the blanket around the individual.
- Stay calm and get the person to stop walking, drop down, and roll on the floor. The commands given are stop, drop, roll. The person should roll around till the fire is completely put out.
- Call emergency services and get medical attention for the person immediately to treat any burn injuries.
When your fire protection equipment is easily accessible, you can quickly get into action and save lives. It enables rapid response; as an employee, if you don’t know where fire prevention device is installed, make sure you ask the management or your employer to install it in an easily accessible place.
Fire Blanket Testing
Fire protection equipment can help reduce or eliminate harm to personnel and property, as well as avoid loss or reduction of productivity. It not only has to be stored in an accessible place; you must also ensure that it is in good working condition. And for that, you must conduct routine inspection and testing of your fire blankets and any other fire protection equipment you have installed on your premises.
TAS Fire Protection provides inspection and fire extinguisher services for your fire protection equipment which helps you verify that accessibility and functionality of all your devices. We help you mitigate your risk from fire, and keep you, your family, and your property safe.
Call TAS Fire today to speak to our experts about fire protection system for your home or work place.
Contact Us (905-870-7779) for a Free Consultation!
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About TAS Fire Protection
TAS Fire Protection offers comprehensive and cutting-edge fire, security, and electrical services to clients with residential, commercial, industrial, or high-rise properties. Our team of highly skilled professionals has years of experience in installing, maintaining, and inspecting fire, security, and electrical systems and equipment.
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