"Kassensturz" test: When the fire blanket itself is "on fire"

The unattended cooker, electrical appliances, the barbecue in the garden: there are numerous fire hazards in and around the house. According to the Accident Prevention Centre, around 10,000 fires occur in Swiss buildings every year, sometimes with tragic consequences. Many fires can be prevented by paying more attention when dealing with fire. If a fire does break out, you can nip it in the bud with a fire blanket.

Baptism of fire for the fire blankets

The SRF consumer magazine "Kassensturz" wanted to know whether ten fire blankets from different suppliers lived up to their name. They were subjected to various tests in the laboratory. Three different fire situations were simulated to see whether the blankets actually extinguish fires: a grease fire with rapeseed oil and a fuel fire in a table fireplace, once without glass panes, once with. Further test criteria were the workmanship and quality of the fire blankets as well as safety in use.

With a price of 54 francs, the top of the class is also the most expensive fire blanket tested. It was the only one to extinguish all fires and received the highest score in each case. It is also the only fire blanket to complete the test with "very good". With an overall score of 5.9, it narrowly missed out on the possible top score of 6. You can only get the clear winner in the "Kassensturz" fire blanket test from the manufacturer.

The good midfield

Six of the ten fire blankets tested are very close to each other. With scores of 4.9 or 4.8, they achieved an overall rating of "good". All of these fire blankets have one thing in common: they failed in the fire in the table fireplace with the glass panes. In other words, in the test where the fire blanket did not hit the fire directly.

Fire fighting

EUR24,51 EUR8,17/1l

Nofire Fire blanket 120x180cm in polybag

C

13

Fire fighting

Unitec Glass fibre fire blanket 120 x 180 cm

104

Fire fighting

−6%

EUR149,– was EUR159,–

Mentrex FlameStop Löschdecke 125 x 180 cm

23

Fire fighting

EUR24,51 EUR8,17/1l

Nofire Fire blanket 120x180cm in polybag

C

13

Fire fighting

Unitec Glass fibre fire blanket 120 x 180 cm

104

−6%

Fire fighting

EUR149,– was EUR159,–

Mentrex FlameStop Löschdecke 125 x 180 cm

23

Good and cheap? Well ...

Two of the tested fire blankets were ordered by "Kassensturz" from one of the numerous online shops in China, which primarily stand for attractive prices and not necessarily for good quality. You can dismiss this as an assertion on my part, but the test results are on my side: when it comes to extinguishing fires, the fire blankets from China perform similarly or equally well as the other products. In terms of workmanship and manufacturing quality, on the other hand, they received very poor marks, resulting in a narrow "sufficient" in the overall judgement. So if you don't want glass fibres in your hands when extinguishing fires, it's better not to shop like a billionaire.

When the fire blanket is on fire

A fire blanket failed the "Kassensturz" test completely. It literally burnt out in a grease fire and caught fire itself after around 20 seconds. Confronted with this devastating result by "Kassensturz", the manufacturer questioned whether the test had really been carried out in accordance with the standard. "If we, the certification body and the professional firefighters, carry out the same test, we will have successful results," says the statement from the manufacturer Maus. He now wants to test his fire blanket again himself in the next few days.

Recommended by experts

Personally, this "Kassensturz" test opened my eyes. Naive and naive as I am, I had never thought of something like a fire blanket before. Yet even the fire brigade and building insurers recommend having one at home at all times. I'm making up for this omission here and now and getting us a extinguishing blanket. Or better yet, two.

Before you put yourself in danger when dealing with a fire, call the fire brigade. Because safety always comes first. Even a seemingly trivial matter can be explosive. That's why you should also call the fire brigade if you have extinguished a fire with a fire blanket. Because you never know where else it might be smouldering and mouldering.

You can find the "Kassensturz" fire blanket test and the detailed results here.