Those of you who attended the Fort Recovery Merchant Christmas Open House this past
Sunday know that we were blessed to host two educators from the Ohio State Fire Marshalls Office. The educators provided on-site fire extinguisher demonstrations to those who were in attendance, but Amanda was able to have some behind the scenes discussions about fire blankets.
If you have not heard about fire blankets, they are quickly growing in popularity on social media. If you scroll through social media, you may be bombarded with a video of advertisers showing that the blankets can be used for small fires.
Here are three things that Amanda learned regarding the fire blankets:
Fire blankets have not yet been given a UL Standard. This means they have not been universally tested. Therefore, the State Fire Marshalls Office cannot yet put a recommendation or truly comment on the effectiveness of the products. Some of the fire blankets are meeting a standard, but we have not seen any UL standards yet. If you are shopping, you may want to do research on if the blanket meets a standard and if so, what standard they have met. More testing will continue to be done on these blankets and eventually we expect there to be a standard. But for now, know that there is not much regulation surrounding these tools--- buyer beware.
Fire blankets vary in size and may be smaller than you think. Fire blankets are intended to be used for SMALL fires. One of the advertisement videos on social media shows a firefighter putting out the fire with a blanket, but you will notice that it is a relatively small fire. If you have a fire blanket, you may be surprised when you open it up that it is not very large. There are different sizes, but in general, they are not very big.
One intention of the fire blankets is for home occupants to use to get out of a fire. There are videos posted of individuals wrapping themselves in the blanket and walking out of a fiery structure. Depending on the situation of the fire, there are many things to consider (including the integrity of the structure). With the fire blankets being rather inexpensive, it does not hurt to have these blankets in each bedroom to help assist in the event of a fire. However, be sure to check the size of the blanket as it may fit around a child (elementary or younger), but most are not likely large enough to wrap around a teen or adult.
Fire blankets are not aerodynamic. One of the advertisement video shows a firefighter putting out the fire with a blanket, but you will notice that it is a relatively small fire. concern that we discussed is the accuracy of these blankets. For example, if there is a fire, the heat from the fire may prevent you from getting close enough to carefully place the blanket over the fire. Instead, you may need to toss the blanket over the fire. If you try tossing a blanket, you will notice that it is hard to be accurate due to aerodynamics. If you also factor into the equation that fire often creates wind or a draft, your level of accuracy may be diminished further.
Fire blankets are made out of fiberglass material. In order for a fire blanket to be effective, it needs to not only repel heat, but also be flame retardant. Fire blankets are made out of flame retardant fiberglass. When buying, be sure you check to ensure that the blanket is made out of this material. As a side note, because the blanket is made out of fiberglass, you won't want to touch it frequently. Fiberglass can cause a reaction to some people which causes itchiness-- think of the feeling you get if you touch pink insulation in a home/attic.
In our industry, we have seen quite a few tricky situations, including home fires. We are blessed that entrepreneurs are continuing to be innovative and create new safety items that are accessible and affordable to the public. We are confident that this technology will improve with time and hopefully we can continue to decrease the number of injuries and fatalities from residential fires.
If you are looking to buy one of these fire blankets this holiday season, we encourage you to do so. However, keep in mind the limitations of the blanket. And if you are buying a blanket, but do not yet have smoke detectors or multiple fire extinguishers, you may be better off getting those first before adding this next level of protection!
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