Got a fire blanket within reach of your galley? You should. Actually, even in a house, it’s a great safety item.
Basically, a fire blanket smothers small fires. And unlike a fire extinguisher, it doesn’t make a mess (if you’ve ever used a fire extinguisher you know it puts white powder everywhere that’s difficult to clean up and very corrosive) and most can be re-used.
That’s not to say that you don’t need a fire extinguisher aboard if you have a fire blanket (actually, you probably need several fire extinguishers — read my article about using one here). But it’s one more tool — and one that’s much more appropriate in many circumstances.
A quick note — fire blankets are best for small, contained fires where you can effectively smother them. If flames can come out the sides of the fire blanket, you’re going to have to use the fire extinguisher.
First, a quick video on using a fire blanket, then a great idea way to keep it within reach and finally, a link to a good fire blanket at a reasonable price.
A fire blanket is extremely easy to use, but like anything else it’s good to think about it before you need it. This video is only 34 seconds long and explains everything you need to know:
If you can’t watch the video, the basic concept is simple– hold the straps at the top of the blanket with the blanket covering the back of your hands and place the blanket over the fire to smother it. The flames should not come through the blanket. Let it sit for at least 20 minutes to avoid a flare-up. Of course, keep an eye on the area during that time!
Okay, so now you’re wondering how and where you’re going to store it on the boat so it’s readily available should you need it. If your boat is laid out at all like ours, you just don’t have suitable wall space in the galley. Reader Annette Baker (see her web site The Seamless Sailor for great info on boat sewing projects) came up with a great idea, shown in the photo. She attached a wire bin to the ceiling near — but not over — the stove.
You want to make sure that if there’s a cooking fire you can reach the fire blanket without getting burned. This is perfect — it’s out of the way and uses space that can’t be used for much else!
Most fire blankets have an easy-open case of some type with a way to hang it. You can use a couple of cable ties through the wall hangers to attach it to the wire basket so it won’t slide out with the motion of the boat. Just test to make sure that you can still open the case and get the blanket out quickly in case of an emergency!
I figured that it would be easy to find fire blankets online. What I ended up learning was that many things called “fire blankets” were actually emergency or hypothermia blankets. Other listings were just for the case. So beware!
This is the fire blanket I bought from Amazon — actually, I bought two since Barefoot Gal’s galley is long and narrow and I wanted one on each side of the stove.
UPDATE: When we had an engine fire in 2018, we used both a fire extinguisher and fire blanket to douse the flames. Fire blankets really do work!
Give your boat its best chance in hurricane season:
And check out our other courses and products
Heather Braun on Facebook says
I see a fire blanket in my future.
MaryJo Boyle says
A fire blanket came with our boat; it’s in the galley. Neither one of us has ever even opened it–guess I’ll do that tomorrow.
Thanks, Carolyn!
Jen Brett says
Hi Carolyn,
Thanks for bringing this up! Fire safety needs to be taken really, really seriously on boats. On Lyra, we have a fire blanket near the galley and several types of extinguishers (dry chemical, CO2, and Halotron). It’s important to familiarize yourself with what kinds of fire can be extinguished with each extinguisher, and the pros and cons of each. Also, get your extinguishers inspected annually.
Chris Link says
My friends on ZTC,consider one if guests can access stove?
Stephanie Kershaw-Marsh says
Yep, we have a fire blanket in our galley along with fire extinguishers in every cabin and the engine room. Luckily we’ve never needed to use them.
Beth Chadwick Schwab says
Right in the galley! Easy to get to in a hurry.
Robert Patterson says
Right in the galley! I have removed the old alcohol stove/oven and tank.
Rick says
I have never used my fire blanket (fiberglass). I purchased mine from NEW FROG newfrog.com for $12.29 with free shipping. This comes from Hong Kong and takes over 2 weeks to arrive.
Rick says
We have one and have never used it.
Karin Drake says
Akaroa got one of these after I read about them on TBG. It would never have occured to me otherwise. Every home should have one too. I initially thought it should be stored above and to the side of the stove in the gap between the ceiling ribs, but after more thought decided it was better on the other side of the cabin so that we can grab it when we instinctively step back from the flames. Hopefully we never have to test the theory.
Viki Moore says
I´ve got one!
Gloria Rooney says
We have a fire blanket on board, but I hope we never have to use it.
S/V Dos Libras says
We don’t have one… Maybe should put it on the list.
The Boat Galley says
It’s on my list for BG . . . always something, isn’t there?
Ellen Farris says
Great idea. Thanks!
Mary says
Can it be reused?
What’s it made of?
Carolyn Shearlock says
Yes it can be reused. Not sure of the material but it’s something flameproof and heavy enough to keep air from getting to the fire.
Carole Erdman Grant says
Fire blankets are law on boats in the UK and it is a super idea. We took some home too.
Jane Gammons says
We have one
Karissa Coffey says
Vernon another tool for the tool box!
Shawn Harlan says
Yes i do
Annie Lindsay says
Definitely especially for oil or fat fires – powder extinguishers just make a big mess in EVERY NOOK AND CRANNY
Jeff Dalton says
Getting one…
Donna says
Do they work in the engine compartment?
Carolyn Shearlock says
They will if you can totally cover the area where there is a fire — the problem around machinery is that the machinery is oddly shaped and air can cometimes still get in. So you might put a fire blanket over the top but still need to use a fire extinguisher a bit around the edges of the blanket.
Angel Mercer Ganey says
I bought the same one from Amazon. Thanks for the tip.
Eve says
Great article! We chartered a 52′ catamaran in the Bahamas last summer and my cousin put the BBQ grill under the cabintop because it was raining… and then the grill caught fire and flames shot up the salon entry way. My no-panic husband quickly grabbed the fire extinguisher and put it out. Luckily no damage or injury – but what a mess to clean up!. When we reported the incident to the charter company they told us about the hidden fire blanket, which would have been an easy, fast, safe way to put out that kind of confined fire. I suggest having a second fire blanket accessible near your grill.
Stan Morin says
Just ordered one from Amazon. Wife says that if I keep adding new things, our fuel use will go through the roof
Carolyn Shearlock says
If there is ever a fire, she’ll be happy to have it aboard (as will you . . .)!
Colin Douglas MacDonald says
Amber carries one
Annette Baker says
On the new boat I hung the fire blanket inside a lower cabinet.
Larry Rau says
One of the WORST things you can do is shoot off a Dry Chemical Extinguiser in a Boat. The stuff is corrosive, it is NOT water soluable, and you cannot clean it up with water. It destroys electronics. For a fuel or engine room fire.. you gotta have one. For everything else, think CO2, a fire blanket works for many things if used quickly.
Marc K says
We were unaware of these blankets. They make perfect sense as a first line of defense against the most high risk & common small kitchen fires. We just ordered a couple of blankets for our home kitchen & boat’s galley on Amazon. As always, thank you Carolyn & TBG!