Extinguish Small Contained Fires

A fire blanket is a safety device designed to extinguish small contained fires. The sheet is used to smother the flames, starve them of oxygen and extinguish the fire before it gets out of control. Fire blankets have excellent insulation properties, the glass fibre product supplied by NextGen Fire can withstand temperatures of 1200°C

The Fire blanket is compact, easy to install, should be accessible but not too close to the risk and its instructions should be read and understood before the need to use, it has excellent insulation properties.

Fire blankets are typically installed in kitchens; however, they are also used within educational, residential and industrial settings.

In addition to extinguishing small liquid and solid fires such as pan oil fire in the kitchen, a fire blanket can be used with a person whose clothing has ignited.

Does a Fire Blanket Replace a Fire Extinguisher?

No. Fire extinguishers are still required and recommended. Whilst a fire blanket is a better way of tackling small contained pan fires, it does not remove the possibility of a larger or different class of fire occurring.

In these instances, a fire extinguisher of the correct class is still advised.

Our fire blankets are available in 0,9m x 0,9m, 1,2m x 1,8m and 1,8m x 1,8m sizes and come in flat protective plastic boxes.

How To Use A Fire Blanket?

A simple grab and pull of the handles will allow the blanket to fall from the wall container and cover an operator’s hands, protecting them from burns. They can be safely deployed in the event of an emergency without any special training – although a potential user should familiarise themselves with the instructions on the container beforehand.

There are different techniques and processes to use depending on the nature of the fire.

• Turn off the heat source if it is safe to do so
• Pull the tapes to release the fire blanket from its box
• Hold the blanket in a shield position and, if possible, wrap the blanket around your hands for protection
• Place the fire blanket over the fire to smother the blaze
• Leave it to cool completely and ensure the fire is fully extinguished, with no chance of it reigniting

If the flames are larger than the blanket itself, do not attempt to put it out yourself. Instead head somewhere safe and call the fire service.

Additional Uses For A Fire Blanket

In addition to extinguishing small liquid and solid fires, a fire blanket can be used with a person whose clothing has ignited.

By placing them on the ground and wrapping them in the blanket, oxygen is excluded, and the flames diminished. Being in a horizontal position also prevents the flames from reaching the victim’s face and hair. This often proves a far safer and practical alternative to using a fire extinguisher.

Regulations

Employers; please note that the ”Draft General Health and Safety Regulations” were Gazetted on 28 October 2005 (Government Gazette, No. 28162). Regulation 7 of the regulations provides the specifications relating to ”First aid, emergency equipment, and procedures”.

Regulation 7 has replaced the old Regulation 3 type kits.

When should first aid be provided at the workplace?

The regulation states that ”an employer shall take all reasonable steps that are necessary under the circumstances, to ensure that persons at work receive prompt first aid treatment in case of injury or emergency.”

When should first aid boxes be provided?

The regulation states that first aid facilities must be provided ”Where more than five employees are employed at a workplace”

Placement of the first aid boxes

”The employer must provide a first aid box or boxes at or near the workplace, available and accessible for the treatment of injured persons at that workplace.”

How many first aid boxes should be provided?

The number of boxes required should be determined by the employer, taking the following into account:

• The type of injuries that are likely to occur at a workplace, · the nature of the activities performed and · the number of employees employed at such workplace

Typically a minimum of one regulation kit per 50 employees is recommended

Signage

An employer shall post a prominent notice or sign in a conspicuous place at a workplace, indicating where the first aid box or boxes are kept as well as the name of the person in charge of such first aid box or boxes.

May the employer keep any other articles or substances like painkillers in the firth aid box?

Regulation 7 states that the employer must ensure that only articles and equipment as mentioned above or other similar equipment or medicine is kept in the first aid box or boxes. According to the Medicines and Related Substances Control Act 101 of 1965, no person is allowed to dispense a medicine (ie: headache tablets, cough mixture, any other oral medicine) unless authorized to do so under the Pharmacy Act.

Articles used for first aid purposes should always be replaced as soon as possible. The employer should perform regular inspections of the first aid boxes in the workplace to ensure that the boxes contain the prescribed ”minimum contents”. A checklist could be used as a useful tool to ensure compliance with the prescription. Inspections are normally done by the health and safety representative of the workplace. Items contained in the box should also be inspected for expiry dates; expired items should be discarded and replaced immediately. Good practice should include the use of a formal first aid register used for the recording of incidents.

Sand Bucket

A fire sand bucket or fire bucket is used to extinguish fires by filling it with sand, and throwing the sand over the fire.

Cheap, Reliable & Easy to Use

Fire buckets are a low-technology method of fighting small fires. Although largely superseded by more modern forms of firefighting equipment, they retain some distinct advantages and remain the preferred method for fighting small fires in certain situations. The main advantages of fire buckets are that they are cheap, reliable, easy to use and can be quickly refilled and reinstated.

Oil Fires

Oil fires are resistant to water, but small fires can be effectively extinguished when the sand in the bucket is dumped on the fire to starve it of the oxygen it needs to stay alight. This method of fighting liquid fires has generally been replaced by modern foaming agents.

Absorb Spills

The sand from a fire bucket can also be used to absorb spills of flammable liquids and render them less dangerous, by reducing the risk of ignition and explosion. Fire buckets are often provided at petrol filling stations to absorb any small fuel spills.

Protect Your Walls

Backing Boards supplied by NextGen Fire are not only aesthetically pleasing it also helps to protect your walls from damage which may occur when the extinguisher is moved or bumped

Ease of Access

Brackets are what the extinguisher is hung upon to give ease of access to the user. The height the extinguishers are hung forms part of SANS 1475 regulations. Brackets are available for both DCP (Dry Chemical Powder) and CO2 Extinguishers.