# Fire blankets - do they work? worth having one in the kitchen? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 2, 2024, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-blankets-do-they-work-worth-having-one-in-the-kitchen/995527 "2024-01-02T23:20:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2024, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-blankets-do-they-work-worth-having-one-in-the-kitchen/995527/21 "2024-01-04T14:06:16Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > I say “tried,” because in my duress and urgency I was pre-squeezing the trigger handle without realizing it, which prevented me from actually removing the pin This is a good point. Fire extinguishers used by the general public need to be easily usable by flustered novices. In this kind of panic situation, your brain short-circuits a lot of conscious thought. Logical thought may be difficult in this state. With this design, it’s trivial to tightly grip the handle with one hand while trying to pull the pin with the other hand. They should change the design so that this is not possible. The pin should be located in a place where you can’t squeeze the handle and pull the pin at the same. Maybe the pin could be on the top of the handle so it would block your hand from gripping the handle while you pull the pin out. The designers should have their extinguishers tested by random people in panic and surprise situations so they can be effectively used even when your brain isn’t using all of its neurons. The same with the fire blankets. Most people know what a fire extinguisher is and how to use it even if they’ve never touched one. Most people aren’t going to have a clue what a fire blanket is or how to use it. Even if the blanket is more effective, it’s probably only going to be more effective if it has the training and education to go along with it. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2024, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-blankets-do-they-work-worth-having-one-in-the-kitchen/995527/22 "2024-01-04T14:10:58Z")
> [@KCB615](#): > > So since I’ve pooh-poohed the fire blankets and extinguishers, what is a home chef to do with a cooking fire? Use the lid for the pan you’re cooking with. I always, without fail, have a lid next to the stove if I’m cooking something that can ignite. My 15 year old daughter does the same, as her OCD father insisted. See the fire, put the lid on the pan, and turn the burner off. I’m not sure how that’s an improvement over the things you don’t like about fire blankets? I’ll have to get much closer to the burning pan to place the lid exactly on it than i would have to drape a largish fire blanket over the entire stovetop. ---
**Author:** ![KCB615](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ea666f/32.png) [@KCB615](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KCB615)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2024, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-blankets-do-they-work-worth-having-one-in-the-kitchen/995527/23 "2024-01-04T14:30:37Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > I kind of feel like that’s an important flaw in the training I’ve been receiving. I am proud to say that in every class I’ve taught we make a big deal about that exact problem. One of my slides has a 4 second video of pulling a pin, I then go into a discussion about how someone is going to screw it up for the exact reason you discovered and how we’re all going to laugh at them. It’s a good way to reinforce the proper behavior. ---
**Author:** ![KCB615](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ea666f/32.png) [@KCB615](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KCB615)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2024, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-blankets-do-they-work-worth-having-one-in-the-kitchen/995527/24 "2024-01-04T14:35:18Z")
> [@Dorjan](#): > > I’m not sure how that’s an improvement over the things you don’t like about fire blankets? I’ll have to get much closer to the burning pan to place the lid exactly on it than i would have to drape a largish fire blanket over the entire stovetop. I can see around the lid, I can’t see around a blanket. The lid doesn’t risk clearing everything off of the stovetop, the blanket does. I’ve never seen a lid that will support combustion, most blankets will (or at least ones you’d have in a house - asbestos is mostly passe and nomex/kevlar is too expensive). Everyone has lids that come with the pans, and they likely live with the pan. Blankets require a separate investment and dedicated storage. Like a blanket, a lid doesn’t help if the cabinets are on fire. I agree there. But you’re calling for help (I hope) if that happens. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2024, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-blankets-do-they-work-worth-having-one-in-the-kitchen/995527/25 "2024-01-04T19:21:24Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > a rushed panic and knocking over the flaming pot, spilling the flaming contents everywhere. Yes, so much this. I recently witnessed a ‘kitchen fire’ that was not handled well. Some food finished baking so the oven briefly was briefly set to broil to finish the cook. The parchment paper in the pan was overlooked and caught fire on the edges. Cue grown adults running around in a panic best reserved for hornet swarm attacks. Never mind the oven is a pretty safe place to keep fire. Or smoke. Or a few ash particles. And the broiler raging 3 inches above where you’re reaching/grabbing at is far hotter. > [@Chronos](#): > > I mostly see them in chemistry labs, for that reason. I thought it was for clothing/hair/‘hair’ fires, iconically demonstrated in this clip: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/dNNQDS6ntv4/maxresdefault.jpg "Christmas Vacation - Uncle Lewis Burns Down The Tree") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNNQDS6ntv4) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2024, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-blankets-do-they-work-worth-having-one-in-the-kitchen/995527/27 "2024-11-30T16:34:04Z")
I remembered this thread, so as I’m visiting my mother for the holiday, I brought her one and hung it next to the stove. She already had a small kitchen fire extinguisher (I think [this kind](https://www.firstalert.com/us/en/products/fire-extinguishers/home/1039891-kitchen-fire-extinguisher-ul-rated-5-bc-white-1039891/), commonly available at Costco) but figured in a panicked situation, it might be tough to figure out, so perhaps the fire blanket might be easier to use? Perhaps we should buy two of the fire extinguishers, one to practice with and another just in case? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-blankets-do-they-work-worth-having-one-in-the-kitchen/995527.md?page=1)