Let’s talk about the importance of fire blankets – not only fire blankets but also fire extinguishers and fire hose reels. Why are these items important in areas such as commercial kitchens, cafes, workplaces and worksites?
First and foremost, we all know that prevention is better than cure. Therefore, fire suppression products such as the above are very important when safeguarding areas against fire going out of control, should one break out. For example, let’s take a busy kitchen at a restaurant in the case of a small oil fire.
Scenario #1: The chef gets distracted helping another kitchen hand, while he has oil in a frying pan on the stove. He turns around to see the flames leaping out of the pan and looks around for a fire blanket to put over the flames and smother the fire – but there isn’t one in the kitchen. By the time he gets to the storeroom down the hall, locates it and gets back with the fire blanket, the flames have caught onto a tea towel sitting beside the stove and the fire becomes out of control – with damage to both property and staff.
Now this isn’t just careless but it also doesn’t meet the safety requirements of a commercial kitchen.
Scenario #2: The chef gets distracted helping another kitchen hand, while he has oil in a frying pan on the stove. He turns around to see flames leaping out of the pan, grabs the fire blanket off the hook above the stove and immediately smothers the fire. This prevents damage to property or staff, proving the importance of fire blankets, especially in kitchen areas.
As we can see from the real-life example above, when your fire suppression/management plan is executed and implemented well, you can avoid damage and loss of property or even lives. Fire blankets save lives and property (when used properly in accordance with Australian Standards).
We have a full range of high-quality fire blankets in stock in Australia. Fire blankets are suitable for use on small to large fires depending on the size of the fire and the fire blanket. They are ideal for use, especially in kitchens, residential homes, workplaces/shops, boats, caravans, campsites and 4WDs. Sizes include: 1m x 1m, 1.2m x 1.2m, 1.2m x 1.8m and 1.8m x 1.8m.
Importance of servicing your fire equipment
There have been so many situations with devastating results when fire extinguishers are not serviced every 6 months as per the Australian Standard.
The Australian Standard AS 1851-2012 guidelines state that all fire extinguishers have to be inspected at six-monthly intervals. If they don’t have a pressure gauge, they may need to be weighed to check they are still full.
This will ensure that whenever a fire extinguisher is needed in the event of a fire breaking out, it will have full pressure for maximum effectiveness. Otherwise, the risk of the substance inside the fire extinguisher being out of date or the pressure in the cylinder being low will dramatically affect its ability to quickly extinguish a fire.
Our full range of fire extinguishers
ABE Dry Chemical Range: Suitable for use on paper, wood, textiles, flammable liquids such as petrol and diesel, and live electrical equipment
CO2 Carbon Dioxide Range: Suitable for use on flammable liquids such as petrol and diesel, and live electrical equipment
Water-Fire Extinguisher: Suitable for use on paper and wood textiles
Foam Fire Extinguisher: Suitable for use on polar solvent/alcohol type fires
Wet Chemical Extinguisher: Suitable for use on paper, wood, textile, cooking oil and fat fires
The same goes for fire hose reels, with AS/NZS 1221 stating that maintenance for fire hose reels must be carried out at six-monthly intervals to make sure that your reels perform to the expected standard during an emergency.
Again this ensures that your equipment is working to its full ability, therefore, giving you the best chance of extinguishing a fire effectively before it goes out of control, potentially causing serious damage to property and even lives.
Our range of fire hose reels and cabinets includes fixed 36m reels, which are the most commonly sold and used, especially in public areas such as schools and apartment buildings. Then there is the swinging 36m option, which is installed in areas where it may be difficult to pull the hose out if it’s flat to the wall. For those buildings that need extra length to reach all areas, we have the 50m fixed option.
Are you aware how simple it is to have your fire equipment checked, serviced and certified every six months? All you have to do is Google ‘fire service companies’ in your area or ‘test and tag companies’ in your local area, contact them and arrange your service. You don’t need to do anything as these companies will take it from there and you can have 100% peace of mind that all your fire suppression equipment will work to their highest potential should a fire break out in your kitchen or workplace, by allowing you to deal with fires quickly and effectively, thereby, saving assets, property and most importantly, lives.
