5 Safety Benefits of Fire Blankets
A fire blanket is useful in putting out small fires before they become big fires. To stifle the fire, place a fire blanket over it to deprive it of oxygen. Fire blankets are useful accessories to have on your site for a number of reasons.
1. Saves Lives
In the unfortunate event that someone catches fire, you can use a fire blanket to cover the area on fire. You can also use it to get out of a building that is on fire by covering your head. However, always remember that fire blankets are used to put out small fires. For them to put out a fire, they need to cover all the flames and starve them of oxygen.
2. Puts out Electrical and Other Indoor Fires
A fire blanket is very effective in putting out electric and other fires. If you do not have time to reach out for a fire extinguisher, throwing a fire blanket over the flaming area can be as effective. By just placing a wool blanket over the fire, you cut off oxygen supply and extinguish the fire.
It is advisable to have large wool fire blankets that can cover the surface area of the room in which they are stored. You may also want to have a number of fire blankets around your site just in case. Besides training employees and contractors on how to use them, place them in strategic locations that are easily accessible.
3. Puts out Kitchen and Grease Fires
Most grease fires occur in the kitchen. Fire blankets are very handy to have in your kitchen. While buying fire blankets for your kitchen, look for those that are designed specifically for kitchen fire emergencies. Also, make sure you have enough kitchen fire blankets to cover a large grease fire. The fire blankets should be stored in places that are easily accessible but do not place them on grills or cooking stoves. This is because, should a grill or stove catch fire, retrieving a fire blanket placed on them could get you burned.
4. Extinguishes Outdoor Fires
Another benefit of fire blankets is that they can put out outdoor fires. These blankets, however, should be large enough to cover burning areas. Most outdoor fires emanate from grills, candles or fire pits. Due to the generous availability of oxygen outdoors, fires can spread quickly. To prevent a fire from spreading too far too quickly, always have a fire blanket nearby, especially where grills, torches and candles are lit. In case the flames start getting out of hand, throw a fire blanket on them immediately.
5. Protects Infants and Children
In case a fire breaks out where children are sleeping, one can wrap a fire blanket around a child or baby. Fire outbreaks claim too many lives of children and infants every year. To reduce the risk of harm to a child or infant, there are special fire blankets that retail in baby supply stores and at fire safety companies. One can also use fire-retardant blankets at daycare establishments to cover napping babies. Caution should, however, be taken to ensure that a baby’s face is not covered with a fire blanket. Since these special fire blankets snugly cling onto a baby’s body, it is easy to wrap them up and take them out of harm’s way, especially when dashing out of a burning structure.
Fire blankets are very useful in extinguishing a fire before it spirals out of control. They cut off the oxygen supply to the fire when placed over the flaming area and keep you safe if you need to evade a fire. Having fire blankets strategically placed near areas that are likely to catch fire could be a life-saving decision in case a fire breaks out.
