Due to the economic climate would you pay to have fire blankets where there are only toasters and microwaves in small pantries. Plus would ypu have them checked out annually or every two years SBH

Yes, I would. Also, check with your insurance company as they may have an opinion on this, ours have, they "recommend" that we have a fire blanket. As for checks; we have ours done annually with all of the fire extinguishers.

Our insurance company wanted fire blankets as well ,but make sure if you put in any extinguishers you check and record monthly as well as annually this is something the fire inspector will look out for Kev

The problem we had with our insurance company was the fact that the previous warehouse had an "incident involving a fire". (This was before I joined the company!) I do recall the fire, as it was about half a mile from where I live and I could see the smoke. So some of the recommendations they make now are more like conditions. Understandable really. For the most part insurer's will listen to any reasonable argument.

Think about - if you were starting from scratch what fire appliances would you require? If there is a chip range or similar then you need to smother the fire with a lid or blanket and a foam extinguisher. If not you don't need a blanket.

A range in a chippy would be quite large and potentially too big a fire for a single fire blanket used by a single person. They do have lids that can be closed but usually by reaching over the fire to get to the lid. My advice would be to close the lid if safe to do so, sound the alarm ensure evacuation, including the flat above if there is one and it is occupied, call the brigade, then if safe to do so and you are trained have a go at the fire using a foam extinguisher but there will have to be at least two of you to do that. How does that sound, no mention of the blanket there? I have fought fires in chip ranges using foam extinguishers - you have to be ready for the fire to initially hit the ceiling with intense heat coming out of the range as soon as the foam is applied. Not something for the uninitiated.

A fire blanket is reasonably cheap, of course you have the training, but what would it cost if you had a fire, increased insurance premiums, renewing the items, repairs to the building etc.

...the question was regarding a toaster and microwave....ensure they are CE compliant have them PAT tested...... the fire risk assessment should signpost the requirements, Co2/Foam take your pick SBH

we have a very small canteen and i had our local fire brigade officer come in to check our site [free] and his thoughts where better to have one than not, and we have it inspected every year and record it as part of our monthly checks as well

Never ever use Foam on an electrical fire.

I was just wondering what the competence requirements are for checking a fire blanket? If it is unused and still in its original holder, why not remove it, open it out and inspect for damage, deterioration etc. Fold it up again and replace it holder. Put a date on the holder - job done. If it looks good then it probably is good. No cost.

A couple of things. a. I thought that the term 'electrical fire' was considered a 'misnomer'. While I wouldn't advocate using 'foam' on electrical equipment (although if switched off go for it!), I have it in my mind that AFFF is rated for accidental release on electrical fires - could anyone confirm or otherwise? b. If a fire blanket has an intact seal, what is the value of an annual check, other than to line the pockets of the company checking them? Do they deteriorate substantially when in storage? I am wondering if the act of getting it out, fiddling with it and then folding it back up etc may possibly be counterproductive and actually cause damage and deterioration. Happy to be wrong, corrected or hung drawn and quartered!

Is it just me who challenges insurers? I have been told on a few occasions by insurers that they require changes to be implemented for one reason or another. However, when challenged and given valid reasons for not doing so they usually agree and let it go. The requirement for fire blankets should, as has been said previously, come from the Fire Risk Assessment, and if you can show them a good and valid reason for not requiring a blanket (i.e. no chip pans etc) then they will usually agree with you. I guess the message i'm trying to convey is... Dont just accept what they say, challenge it with good common sense reasoning and ask them if they agree. You may be suprised.

He has not really thought this one through. While electricity is not fire, you can either have fire within electrical apparatus itself or fire where the insulation of electrical conductors is compromised, giving rise to a risk of electric shock - such as when the conduit on the wall melts exposing more than one phase!! Since this is quite a mouthful, I 9personally) am happy to compromise by saying 'electrical fire' even if it is not 100% scientifically sound. While you do have the option to evacuate the premises and call 999, there is a lot to be said for having a few people around who can take immediate action to halt a small fire. One of our buildings would have been lost if someone had not done just that, and the major part of an Architecture Department at a Dutch University was lost because no-one dealt with a coffee machine that was on fire. This is not the same as fire fighting - it is equivalent to stamping on the ember that exits from your open fire onto the carpet!

I watched a TV programme the other night, someone was trying to define one degree temperature. They said there was no such thing as heat because heat is just energy. Try sticking that in the fire officer's pipe and tell him to smoke it?

Thundercliffe, I have some sympathy with your post at #26 and hence my post at #23 in with I suggested that an 'electrical fire' was something of a misnomer. Some years ago the RAF had a change of position, much as you have described, and 'electrical fires' were 'no more'. Their revised approach was knock off the power and treat as (in the main) a solid fire. Right now where's my BCF?

Looking at the OP, my view would be: 1. If a FRA has deemed the blankets necessary then the current economic climate should have little to do with it. (But the original FRA could be flawed, influenced by other factors like insurers 'recomendations'). Personally I think there is a reasonable arguement for not having them if other suiatable means are available. Toasters and microwaves are just another appliance that may catch fire. You don't need a fire blanket for hairs dryers, tV's or computers so unless there was a 'chip pan' scenario or even a gas hob (clothing fire!). 2. If they are there then they must be maintained. I do not believe RR(FS)O is prescriptive in the inspection interval but I would say the 'best practice' is annually to BS5306 (though I am not sure is the standard itself states an annual service). 3. In house testing may be appropriate so long as you have the competence (I don't know if it as straight forward as taking it out an looking at it - I am sure someone knows). There was an earlier post (last week or so) which mentioned in house testing and the fire technicians course (run by BFC I recall). I am assuming this covers blankets also. 4. We currently pay around £3 per item inspected on all our portable extinguishers (not counting recharges / exchanges etc) so with the course at £625 and you having 150 blankets you could expect payback within 2 years and be able to in house service all your other extinguishers to boot. Hope this helps