Fire containment covers – also known as fire blankets for lithium-ion batteries – are a central measure to contain battery and vehicle fires. Unlike traditional extinguishing agents, they primarily serve to control flames, heat, and smoke development and to prevent fire spread.
Especially with electric vehicles and high-voltage batteries, they represent an important addition to fire protection. In the following FAQ section you will find the most important information on function, standards such as DIN SPEC 91489, selection, size, temperature resistance, and reusability.
Unfortunately not. Fires caused by lithium-ion batteries are chemical fires that are independent of oxygen. They continue to burn even if they are deprived of oxygen or if you try to extinguish them with water as you would conventionally.
Nevertheless, the fire brigade uses water to cool the burning battery. Even after hours, a battery can ignite again.
The only thing that helps here is a controlled burn-off and fire containment to prevent the fire from spreading to the surrounding area due to high temperatures or escaping flames.
The name “fire blanket” is common, but misleading. These special, high-temperature-resistant blankets do not extinguish battery fires. What works on the grill does not work on lithium batteries.
With fire blankets, the name says it all: they contain the fire and thus also the damage, giving you time to alert the local fire brigade, who will decide on further fire-fighting measures.
Find out more about this topic in our blog articles:
The German DIN SPEC 91489 provides clarity for stakeholders in various industries.
DIN SPEC 91489 contains several requirements for fire-retardant ceilings, the most important of which are listed below:
General requirements Properties such as loops, size of the blanket, storage, etc. are mentioned.
Thermal resistance The DIN SPEC requires a minimum ISO13591-1 classification B. However, the Fire Isolator fire blankets have a higher (the highest) classification: A1.
Mechanical stability Resistance to cutting, stability of loops, etc.
Electrostatic charge
Protection against electric shock
Chemical resistance
Markings
Manufacturer information
Minimum content of the test report
Training for use by first responders DIN SPEC 91489 requires that fire blankets can be used quickly and easily by two trained responders wearing personal protective equipment and breathing apparatus.
In the event of a battery fire, such a blanket provides valuable time to alert the fire department and prevent the flames from spreading. This applies to all possible uses, be it a cell phone, a laptop, an e-scooter, a factory robot or an electric car.
This question will be answered by the local fire department, because they are always to be alerted and they initiate further fire-fighting measures.
It is highly dangerous to let a burning electric car burn out under such a blanket and wait until it is all over. A battery fire could last for days and reignite repeatedly. Among other things, the fire produces toxic gases that must be contained as quickly as possible.
The right size of fire blanket depends largely on the size of the burning object and its size. An e-scooter requires a smaller blanket than an e-car or a forklift.
Roughly measure how large the blanket needs to be so that it still lies flat on the ground around the object, with a 1-2m overhang. Don't forget to take the height into account (e.g. SUV). This is the only way to ensure that toxic gases remain under the blanket for the most part and that flames have no chance of igniting the area around the source of the fire.
Here are some examples of common sizes:
Automobiles: Larger vehicles such as station wagons, SUVs, sedans, forklifts: The fire blanket should be at least 6x8 meters (taking into account the height of the vehicle).
Medium-sized vehicles: The fire blanket should be at least 5x6m in size.
Smaller electric vehicles, e.g. warehouse robots: The fire blanket should be at least 3x4m in size.
Appliances with batteries, such as cordless screwdrivers, garden tools: The fire blanket should be at least 1.5x1.5m in size.
Cell phones and laptops: The fire blanket should be at least 1.5x1.5m in size.
There are also differences in the materials used. The fire blankets differ, for example, in their composition, material thickness and temperature resistance. This is crucial, for example, if the blankets are to be used directly on batteries, not installed, as in vehicles.
When making your purchase, don't forget the weight of the blankets. A large blanket can quickly weigh 25-45 kg. Here, for example, there is the option of storing it in a trolley.
In the event of a fire and the active use of the blanket, no. We strongly advise against it. Firstly, the extreme temperatures can cause damage to the material that cannot be reliably assessed by laypersons. Secondly, fires produce toxic gases that are harmful to health and can adhere to the material.
The ceiling can be used repeatedly for protection if there is no damage.
Here, too, the size and the fire behavior of the object are crucial. An e-bike battery reaches different temperatures than the fire of an electric car.
When an electric vehicle catches fire, temperatures of up to 1,000°C can be reached – and even peaks of 1,200°C for a short time.
Due to the different fire behavior, it is not possible to make an accurate statement about the temperatures that will arise and the duration of the fire.
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