What is the difference between EN 1869: 1997 and EN 1869: 2019?

As most people would be aware, a fire blanket is a piece of flame retardant fabric designed to extinguish smaller fires soon after ignition. They are most commonly used in our kitchens and others areas our homes, and are most often constructed of fibreglass or nylon coated with a silicone based flame retardant and is folded inside a container allowing it to be pulled out using two visible pull handles and placed over a fire to extinguish it. They are most associated with kitchen use for chip pans and similar small cooking container fires.

However, the BS EN 1869, covering the manufacture of fire blankets has now changed. It was first issued in 1997 and has been updated and reissued in 2019.

One of the most comprehensive changes to the new BS EN 1869:2019 standard is not only the date, but the level of testing fire blankets are now subjected to.

Previously, testing was limited to the use of fire blankets on cooking oil fires, despite the fact that they are often are installed for a far wider range of risks. With the updated 2019 standard, the original tests for electrical conductivity and cooking oil fires have been upgraded to include Class B fire using heptane, giving users the reassurance that a tested and approved blanket to BS EN 1869:2019 is truly effective on Classes A, B and F fires, even with the use of electrical appliances.