We have had a anti-fire blanket for over 35 years and we have never used it. I inspected it recently and discovered that the holder it is in is suffering serious degradation.
Which makes me wonder about the state of the blanket itself.
My instinct tells me I should replace it, but also I’m thinking ‘if it ain’t broke …’.
Does anyone know if the blanket is likely to have deteriorated!
Fire protection equipment has a limited shelf life and should be replaced regularly. I’d be surprised if the manufacturer recommends more than 5-7 years in between replacements.
It depends from what they are made of. Some don’t have an expiry date as they don’t wear out.
The packaging normally gives the date.
Packaging? That went into the poubelle decades ago. The only thing on the actual container is the size 1.2m x 1.2m.
We haven’t used it in all these years but perhaps I should get a new one, perhaps with a clear “use by date”.
in a similar situation, personally, i’d sleep better knowing that i have a fire blanket that would work. To me, this is kinda like a horn in in a car - very seldom used, but when needed, it better work. Just my $0.01’s worth …
A quick Google search says they should be replaced every 5-10 years.
I like to question everything and try and understand where these figures come from.
There are fire blankets made of of woven wool which is treated with a fire-retardant coating. These can degrade and need checking and replacing regularly.
Most now are made out of silicon-coated woven fibreglass. These should be checked regularly too but aren’t going to suddenly fall apart after five years.
The figure of seven years (or five to ten) is not written in any legislation and is a recommendation - probably given on advice from fire blanket manufacturers.
There are lots of recommendations in this world which aren’t based on any solid evidence:
The number of safe units of alcohol one can consume in a week - made up. There is no safe level.
Walking ten thousand steps a day - ultimately good for you but the figure originally came from a Japanese step-counter inventor.
How many of you periodically check your fire blanket? (re-packing instructions on the sleeve are there for a reason).
If people are really worried about fire safety - how many of you owning EVs have an EV fire blanket?
Is it recommended that you try to put out your own vehicle fire, though?
I don’t have an EV but I would have thought the priority would be to get yourself and others to safety regardless of whether it’s an ICE or an EV, then call the fire brigade. Shouldn’t really hang around toxic smouldering plastic, paints and rubber.
Maybe if someone is trapped you can sort of do your best with a blanket till the fire brigade arrives?
I recall going to a talk once by the RAC and they didn’t recommend those mini fire extinguishers in cars because they were next to useless.
If a chip pan fire has got out of control and is burning your house down, a 1m square kitchen fire blanket isn’t really going to cut it.
I presume the same is for an EV fire.
I suspect that one day, with a greater prolification of EVs in apartment underground parking, there will be an EV fire blanket ready to use in every such garage.
I don’t think people will be carrying one around in the boot.
The blankets are designed to cover the whole car - they won’t stop the fire but will prevent smoke and other damage to adjacent areas.
Using such a blanket with someone in the car is sure to quicken their death.
Bloody hell, I just googled what they look like.