Benefits of a Fire Blanket at Home & Work

28 July 2023

The benefits of a fire blanket are easy to underestimate until the moment you need one. Most homes and workplaces rely on smoke alarms and extinguishers, but a fire blanket does something neither can: it smothers a small fire instantly and shields a person from heat and flame. This piece runs through what a fire blanket does, why it earns its place at home and at work, and where it beats the alternatives.

What a Fire Blanket Does

A fire blanket is a sheet of fire-resistant material, usually woven fibreglass, that you lay over a fire to cut off its oxygen. No oxygen, no fire. It works on the small, contained fires that start in kitchens, workshops, and labs: cooking oil, flammable liquids, electrical faults, and clothing. For the technique itself, our guide on how to use a fire blanket properly walks through the steps, but the short version is simple: cover the flames, do not throw it, and leave it in place.

One benefit that's easy to miss: a compliant blanket is a known quantity. Look for AS/NZS 3504 on the packaging and you know it has passed independent testing, so you're not gambling on an untested import when a pan goes up. That certainty is part of what you're paying for.

Benefit of a fire blanket in the kitchen when a risky fire starts

6 Reasons a Fire Blanket Earns its Place

It stops a fire at the source. A fire blanket smothers small flames in seconds, before they reach a tea towel, a curtain, or the cupboards above the stove. Fire and Rescue NSW is clear that you should never use water on a cooking oil fire, and a blanket is one of the safest ways to smother one in those first few seconds.
Reusable in the right conditions. If a blanket is taken out during a drill or false alarm and never touches flame, you can refold it and put it back. After it has been used on a fire, replace it, since the heat weakens the material. Some blankets are made to be reused if they pass inspection, so follow the manufacturer's instructions.
No mess to clean up. Unlike a dry powder extinguisher, which coats a room in fine residue, a fire blanket leaves nothing behind. That matters in a kitchen, a lab, or anywhere near electronics.
It protects a person, not just a room. A fire blanket can be wrapped around someone whose clothing has caught fire, which is something an extinguisher cannot safely do. That single use can prevent a serious burn.
Easy to use. A fire blanket needs no special training, just the basics: pull the tabs, cover the fire, and it starts working straight away. Leave it on the fire for at least 15 minutes to make sure the fire is completely out.
Low cost, long life. A fire blanket is one of the cheapest pieces of safety gear you can own, and a good one lasts for years when stored properly. For the protection it offers, the value is hard to beat.

Right-Sized for the Risk

The benefit only lands if the blanket suits the space. A compact blanket by the stove handles a home kitchen. A busy commercial kitchen, a workshop with flammable liquids, or a lab with chemical risks needs a larger blanket and often more than one. The point is to match the blanket to what could actually catch fire in that room, not to buy the cheapest option and hope it covers everything.

The Danger of Not Having One

A small fire doubles in size fast. Without a blanket or extinguisher within reach, a pan fire that could have been smothered in seconds becomes a house fire or a shut-down worksite. The cost of a fire blanket is trivial next to the cost of not having one when it counts.

Not sure the blankets on your site or in your kitchen match the risks around them? That's worth five minutes of your time. Take a look at our range of fire blankets, or tell us what you're protecting and we'll point you to the right size and type.

Frequently Asked Questions

A fire blanket smothers a small fire in seconds, protects a person whose clothing has caught fire, and leaves no mess. It handles cooking oil and electrical fires that water and some extinguishers cannot safely tackle, which makes it a low-cost first line of defence at home and at work.

A fire blanket leaves no residue, needs no servicing or recharging, and can be wrapped around a person on fire. It is simpler to use under pressure and works well on cooking oil fires. An extinguisher covers larger fires and works from a distance, so many homes and sites keep both.

Fire blankets need far less upkeep than extinguishers. Check yours now and then for tears, stiffness, or discolouration, make sure everyone knows where it is, and replace it after it has been used on a fire. A well-stored blanket lasts for years.

Keep it within reach of the likely fire source and between that risk and the nearest exit. In a workplace kitchen or lab, mount it on the wall where staff can grab it quickly, not tucked away in a cupboard.