How Often Do Fire Blankets Need to Be Inspected in NSW?
Short answer
Fire blankets installed as essential fire safety equipment in applicable NSW buildings are routinely serviced every 6 months under AS 1851-2012.
From 13 February 2026, AS 1851-2012 became mandatory for applicable essential fire safety measures in new and existing Class 1b and Class 2–9 buildings in NSW.
How often do fire blankets need to be inspected in NSW?
Fire blankets covered by AS 1851-2012 have a 6-monthly routine service interval.
Unlike portable fire extinguishers, fire blankets do not have separate annual and 5-yearly servicing levels. Their routine servicing schedule is much simpler.
That does not mean simply looking at the pouch and punching the service tag.
The blanket itself needs to be inspected.
What is checked during a fire blanket inspection?
A fire blanket inspection includes checking its condition, accessibility, location and associated signage.
The blanket should be examined for problems such as:
- staining or contamination
- heat or burn damage
- holes, tears or fraying
- deterioration of the blanket material
- damage to the pouch or release mechanism
- poor positioning or accessibility
- missing or unsuitable signage
The inspection is intended to establish whether the blanket remains suitable for use, not simply whether it is still hanging on the wall.
Does the fire blanket need to be removed from its pouch?
Yes.
During our inspection process, the fire blanket is removed from its pouch and opened on a clean, flat surface so its condition can actually be examined.
Some defects are impossible to see while the blanket remains folded inside its container.
We have found blankets with staining, deterioration and heat damage that were not obvious until the blanket was removed and inspected.
That is why punching the maintenance tag without examining the blanket is not a meaningful inspection.
When does a fire blanket need to be replaced?
A fire blanket should be replaced if it has been used, damaged, contaminated or otherwise found unsuitable during inspection.
Fire blankets are single-use emergency equipment. Once deployed against a fire, they should not simply be folded up and returned to the pouch.
Damage does not always come from a fire either.
We inspected one blanket in a mobile food trailer that had been installed close to a sink. The blanket had wicked moisture or fluid and developed large brown areas of contamination.
We replaced the blanket and relocated it away from the source of the problem.
There is not a universal AS 1851 rule requiring every unused fire blanket to be discarded after 5 or 10 years. Manufacturer requirements and the actual condition of the blanket should also be considered.
Who can inspect and service fire blankets in NSW?
NSW building owners are responsible for ensuring applicable essential fire safety measures are maintained by competent persons.
One nationally recognised qualification for fire protection technicians is the CPP20521 Certificate II in Fire Protection Inspection and Testing.
The qualification covers technicians involved in the regular servicing and inspection of fire protection equipment and systems.
The important point for a building owner is that the person servicing the equipment should be competent for the work being performed.
Fire blankets are not the only portable fire equipment that needs regular servicing. Our guide on how often fire extinguishers need to be serviced in NSW covers the 6-monthly, annual and 5-yearly servicing requirements that apply to extinguishers.
And if you are unsure what the broader fire safety requirements in NSW actually are, our guide on the requirements for fire inspections in NSW explains what section 81A and AS 1851-2012 require of building owners.
What records need to be kept?
Under the NSW AS 1851 requirements applying from 13 February 2026, building owners must maintain the required fire safety servicing records and keep applicable documentation available on site.
A punched service tag is therefore not the entire compliance record.