Kitchen Fire Blanket review

What the standard means

BS EN 1869:2019 is the British and European standard for fire blankets. BSI describes it as covering non-reusable blankets for controlling small fires, including those large enough to wrap a person in clothing fires. It replaced the 1997 edition, which was withdrawn in 2019, so a blanket still labelled to the 1997 version was certified to an old test. The Kitemark on top means BSI tested samples and audits the maker's production, not just a one-off type test.

Firechief's blanket is K40 woven glass fibre, one metre square, sold in a soft pouch or a rigid case, with a five-year warranty and Kitemark certification to the 2019 standard; Screwfix lists the certificate number KM 35021. Marketplace blankets with no standard and no Kitemark are the ones Hampshire's fire service warns about when it says to look for the British Standard mark.

What the fire services say

The Home Office's fire safety in the home booklet is blunt: do not tackle fires yourself, never throw water on a pan fire, and get out, stay out and call 999. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue says a blanket is good for a chip pan fire, on a small fire only. Put those together and the blanket's job is the first few seconds of a pan fire you are standing next to: turn off the heat if it is safe, cover the pan, leave it covered and leave the room. If the fire has spread beyond the pan, the blanket is no longer the tool.

The same booklet suggests preventing the fire instead: if oil starts to smoke, turn the heat off and let it cool, and a thermostat-controlled electric fryer is safer than an open pan. Our chip pan and kitchen fires guide and house fire: what to do cover both.

Fitting and using it

Mount it on the wall by the kitchen exit, not above the cooker, so you never reach across a flame to get it. The pouch has pull-down tabs; grab both, hold the blanket in front of you with your hands tucked behind the top edge, and lay it over the pan away from you. For clothing, wrap the person and get them to the floor. The standard describes blankets as non-reusable: after any real fire, bin it and buy another.

How it compares

On the first aid page it sits beside the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms as the kitchen's piece of kit. It does a job no extinguisher does better on a pan fire: no spray to spread burning oil and no mess. A small extinguisher such as the Firexo 2 litre covers fires away from the hob; our fire extinguishers page compares them. A blanket is the cheaper, no-maintenance item, and the one every kitchen should have first.

Our verdict

Buy a Kitemarked blanket to BS EN 1869:2019 and fix it by the kitchen door. Skip any blanket with no standard on the label, and never plan to fight a fire that has left the pan: the fire services' advice is to get out and call 999, and a blanket does not change that.

Which standard should a kitchen fire blanket meet?

BS EN 1869:2019, ideally with the BSI Kitemark. The 1997 edition was withdrawn in 2019, so a blanket certified only to that is to an old test.

Can a fire blanket be reused?

BSI describes BS EN 1869 blankets as non-reusable. After it has been used on a real fire, dispose of it and buy a new one.

Should I use a fire blanket on a chip pan fire?

Only on a small fire you are standing next to, and never with water. Hampshire's fire service says blankets suit chip pan fires; the Home Office booklet says not to tackle fires yourself and to get out, stay out and call 999 if in doubt.

Where should a fire blanket be mounted?

On the wall near the kitchen exit, at a height everyone can reach, and never above the cooker where you would have to reach through flames.