Fire Blankets

What is a fire blanket used for?

A fire blanket is a heat-resistant sheet used to smother a small fire by cutting off its oxygen supply. Unroll it, place it over the flames, and the fire goes out. Most people buy a fire blanket for kitchen use, and a kitchen fire blanket is the standard first line of defence against pan fires. They also work on Class A materials (paper, wood, small waste bin fires), Class B fluids, and small Class F cooking oil fires.

History and compliance

Fire blankets became a household item in Britain thanks to a national love of deep-fried food and the chip pan fires that came with it. Today they are found in commercial kitchens, laboratories and workshops, and are tested to BS EN 1869:2019, the current British Standard for fire blankets. BS EN 1869 was originally introduced in 1997 and reissued in 2019 with stricter testing to weed out substandard imports.

For specialist risks, explore our welding blankets and lithium battery fire blanket range.