Fire blanket

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A fire blanket is a safety device designed to extinguish small incipient (starting) fires.

[edit] Common uses

Fire blankets are found in a number of residential and commercial settings. They are commonly found in situations where extinguishing a fire with water would be difficult, such as grease, oil and electrical fires. They are also found where people's clothing may catch fire.

In the household, fire blankets are located in the kitchen to assist with grease fires on the stove. In commercial garages, fire blankets are located near oil storage or engine work to assist with oil and grease fires. In commercial settings where sparks are present (foundries, welding shops), fire blankets are available in case sparks ignite an employee's clothing. In some cases, fire blankets are found around electrical equipment such as computers or generators.

[edit] Construction

Fire blankets come in a range of sizes, from a small 3 foot x 3 foot (1 meter x 1 meter) square up to the size of a large bedding blanket. They are made from a fire resistant fabric such as fiberglass or aramid fibers (Nomex), or from a durable fabric such as wool treated with a fire retardant coating. From appearance alone, they seem like any thick wool blanket.

[edit] How fire blankets work

In order for a fire to burn, all four elements of the fire tetrahedron must be present: heat, fuel, oxygen and a sustaining chemical chain reaction. A fire blanket either completely surrounds a burning object or is placed over a burning object and sealed closely to a solid surface around the fire. Either way, the blanket cuts off the supply of oxygen, smothering the fire.