Fire Blanket is a security device designed to extinguish a newly started fire (start). It consists of a piece of refractory material placed over a fire to strangle it.
Small fire blankets, such as for use in the kitchen and around the house are usually made of fiberglass and sometimes kevlar, and folded into a quick release for easy storage.
Fire blankets, along with fire extinguishers, are fire safety items that can be useful in case of fire. This non-flammable blanket helps in temperatures up to 900 degrees and is useful for extinguishing the fire by not allowing oxygen to fire. Because of its simplicity, a fire blanket may be more beneficial to someone who is inexperienced with a fire extinguisher.
Larger fire blankets, for use in laboratories and industrial situations, are often made of wool (sometimes treated with fire-proof liquid). This blanket is usually installed in a vertical quick-release container so it can be easily pulled out and wrapped in a person whose clothes are on fire.
Video Fire blanket
Dangers
Asbestos in the old blanket
Some of the older fire blankets are made of asbestos fibers and not NFPA grades. This can pose a hazard during decommissioning of old equipment.
Put out boilovers
After an initial investigation in 2013, and then in 2014, the Dutch Food and Security Products Safety Authority issued a statement that fire blankets should never be used to douse Boilover like chip shots, even if icons or text on blankets indicate blankets can be used in such cases that. These include fire blankets that have been tested according to BS EN 1869. In the investigation of 22 fire blankets tested, 16 of the fire blankets were themselves burned. On the other 6 the fire flashed back when the blanket was removed after 17 minutes. The Dutch Fire Burn Foundation reported several accidents involving the use of fire blankets when putting out boilovers. Consumers can ship an existing fire blanket, which will then receive a sticker stating 'niet geschikt voor olie-en vetbranden' ("unsuitable for oil and fat fires"). New products will have this text printed, instead of being jabbed.
Maps Fire blanket
Operation
For fires to burn, the three elements of a fire triangle must exist: heat, fuel, and oxygen. Fire blankets are used to cut off the supply of oxygen to the fire, thus putting it out. The fire blanket should be sealed tightly to the solid surface around the fire. Fire blankets usually have two pull downs visible from the outside of the package. Users should place one hand on each tag and pull down simultaneously by removing blankets from the bag. The tail is located near the top of the fire blanket that allows the upper lip of the fire blanket to fold back over the user's hand, protecting them from heat and direct contact burns.
Maintenance
The Fire Industry Association ("FIA") published "Practice Code for Commissioning and Maintenance of Manufactured Flame Blankets to BS EN 1869".
Annual Maintenance by Service Providers
The FIA's practice code recommends that the responsible person ensure that the fire blanket is subject to annual maintenance by a competent service provider.
Life-life expectancy of fire blanket
It also recommends that consideration be given to the replacement of fire blankets after seven years from the date of commissioning (or as specified otherwise by manufacturers of fire blankets).
See also
- Las blanket
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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