I've just had my call to say I've got my 1st inspection next week - dreading it!

My fire blanket has been damaged so I have ordered one but don't know where I can buy another to make sure it's here for next week.

Plus I've got a new little boy starting on Monday so will be doubly stressful!

She asked me about parent questionnaires & for me to have them ready! I've only been minding since September so was going to send out questionnaires every 4 months - the 1st set being sent out with the invoices etc at the end of this month...will this be a problem?

Really really nervous!

Fire blanket, tesco,boots or Argos or borrow one from another minder who has two? Order from amazon,McMahon, eBay. Make sure it's the right size 1.2m square.

Fire blanket- it is not really clear if we should have one... one line of thought is that if there is any fire we should get the children out and not be faffing about with fire blankets. I would phone your local fire station ASAP and ask for their advise- it will then be the 'official' advise and Ofsted can not argue with that, they may even be able to come out to you for a fire safety check (they are free) before your inspection if you are lucky- or at least you can tell ofsted you have it booked for xxx date. Otherwise RA it- do you think a fire blanket is appropriate in your situation, would you know how to use it, how would you use it with little ones around? I think it is different for nurseries as they have multiple staff.

Questionnaires- I would get one out ASAP and explain to parents it is for inspection and say you need it back on Monday. Good parent feedback is very very valuable.

Good luck!

Fire blankets is a tricky one because if you read the EYFS they are not there... but then the EYFS tells us to have fire escape signs and that's not a popular subject among childminders :laughing:

Just do a 'pre-inspection' type questionnaire - ask parents if there are any comments they would like to share with the inspector about your service, policies etc.

Good luck! :D

I think the real value in fire blankets is if you had a child on fire (god forbid), you could bundle them in the blanket to put them out. You might be able to get one from a hardware store e.g. homebase?

Good luck for your inspection!

I have a Home Safety Check done by the Fire Brigade every 3 years and they laughed when they saw my Fire Blanket! The Fire brigade's view is we are not trained fire fighters and we must get the children and ourselves out and no try and put a fire out.

I had only ever had one to keep Ofsted happy but if I had mindees with me I would never use it. My priority is to get the children out. At the end of the day you can replace things but you can't replace the children.

As for needing it to roll a child who was on fire in it. RA how likely that is. I have not got materials anywhere near the children that could cause a fire or aid them to cause a fire. My home is checked regularly and has been completely rewired in the last two years and when that was done I had hard wired smoke and heat alarms put in instead of battery ones. I don't have the high risk item at all and that is a tumble drier, my washing machine is in a Utility room where the children never go, I now have an electric hob and only a gas wok hob that is rarely used when the mined children are here but as it is a new on if it blow out the gas supply is automatically cut off. For me the risk of this happening is virtually zero and you can put clothes on fire out by rolling the child on the floor as well.

You should also be aware of how to use a Fire Blanket the right way. If you don't use it the correct way you can end up badly injuring yourself, not putting the fire out anyway and then it would be harder for you to get any children out.

It is of course your choice and only you know your home. The hook in the kitchen that held my Fire Blanket until the 31st Aug 2012 now has a lovely ceramic Owl on it!

Also please don't borrow a Fire Blanket from another cm unless they have no children on the days they lend you their Blanket because if they lend it to you and they then don't have one that makes a nonsense. If they think they need one then lending it to you will according to their RAs at risk if you think about it. I know if I had RA that I needed one there is no way it would leave my wall unless I needed to use it.

Here are a couple of clips for You Tube that are quite interesting. I would advise keeping the blanket in a drawer though it is quite hard to get it out of the container quickly unless it is attached to the wall or a cupboard door so you can pull the tabs and release the blanket.

How to use a Fire Blanket and their applications - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPsceUJPth8)

Fire Blanket Demo - Fireproof Blankets - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48A4ZSHg3tA)

I think the real value in fire blankets is if you had a child on fire (god forbid), you could bundle them in the blanket to put them out. You might be able to get one from a hardware store e.g. homebase?

Good luck for your inspection!

I was told.that this was an absolute no-no, just to drop and roll. Can't remember the reason why but it was a definate no.

Tbh I was quite anti all 'fire fighting' equipment, I always said I'd just leave the house so they were pointless. However someone said that I shouldn't consider them in terms of fighting the fire, but in terms of then.being aids to escape. I think that's a good way to think if it.

Before I registered I phoned the fire brigade for advice as we were told we needed a fire extinguisher and fire blanket ( Scottish Care Inspectorate) fire brigade said do NOT buy fire extinguisher, get out and stay out-it is their job to deal with the fire and mine to make sure children are safe. They said if I wanted to get the blanket to use on very small eg pan fires then it was up to me but they would still advise against using it and just to get out and call them.

Lidl have one in on Monday.

I have a Home Safety Check done by the Fire Brigade every 3 years and they laughed when they saw my Fire Blanket! The Fire brigade's view is we are not trained fire fighters and we must get the children and ourselves out and no try and put a fire out.

I had only ever had one to keep Ofsted happy but if I had mindees with me I would never use it. My priority is to get the children out. At the end of the day you can replace things but you can't replace the children.

As for needing it to roll a child who was on fire in it. RA how likely that is. I have not got materials anywhere near the children that could cause a fire or aid them to cause a fire. My home is checked regularly and has been completely rewired in the last two years and when that was done I had hard wired smoke and heat alarms put in instead of battery ones. I don't have the high risk item at all and that is a tumble drier, my washing machine is in a Utility room where the children never go, I now have an electric hob and only a gas wok hob that is rarely used when the mined children are here but as it is a new on if it blow out the gas supply is automatically cut off. For me the risk of this happening is virtually zero and you can put clothes on fire out by rolling the child on the floor as well.

You should also be aware of how to use a Fire Blanket the right way. If you don't use it the correct way you can end up badly injuring yourself, not putting the fire out anyway and then it would be harder for you to get any children out.

It is of course your choice and only you know your home. The hook in the kitchen that held my Fire Blanket until the 31st Aug 2012 now has a lovely ceramic Owl on it!

Also please don't borrow a Fire Blanket from another cm unless they have no children on the days they lend you their Blanket because if they lend it to you and they then don't have one that makes a nonsense. If they think they need one then lending it to you will according to their RAs at risk if you think about it. I know if I had RA that I needed one there is no way it would leave my wall unless I needed to use it.

Here are a couple of clips for You Tube that are quite interesting. I would advise keeping the blanket in a drawer though it is quite hard to get it out of the container quickly unless it is attached to the wall or a cupboard door so you can pull the tabs and release the blanket.

How to use a Fire Blanket and their applications - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPsceUJPth8)

Fire Blanket Demo - Fireproof Blankets - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48A4ZSHg3tA)


I attended Fire Training for Childminders a couple of years ago and was told all of this by the instructor. The only thing we should use a fire blanket for is if someone was actually on fire. Otherwise just take the children and leave as quickly as possible.
Also thank you for the very useful links to youtube, never thought of looking there.:clapping:

Its frustrating to see how much conflicting advice there is. On the front of my fire blanket, there is actually a picture of how to use it to put out someone who is on fire! Hope link below works for showing what it looks like.

6835

Did anyone see the 24 hrs in A&E episode with the little girl whose clothes had caught on fire from their ?gas heater, and dad put it out with his hands, he had terrible burns too. And afterwards the dad said they didn't get rid of the gas heater!

Anyway - yes I agree the chance of a child catching fire should be absolute zero, if there's anything that could cause that (e.g. gas heater!) you should be managing the risks completely or get rid of it. But in some totally freak self-combustion accident, if I was near the blanket I'd probably still grab it to roll them in - I don't see how you could make things worse doing this, and hopefully you'd save your own hands from getting burnt?

3.54 Providers must take reasonable steps to ensure the safety of children, staff and others on the premises in the case of fire or any other emergency, and must have an emergency evacuation procedure. Providers must have appropriate fire detection and control equipment (for example, fire alarms, smoke detectors, and fire extinguishers) which is in working order. Fire exits must be clearly identifiable, and fire doors must be free of obstruction and easily opened from the inside.

I only have a fire blanket, does everyone have fire extinguishers? I don't have my exits labelled :panic: Does everyone do this too?

3.54 Providers must take reasonable steps to ensure the safety of children, staff and others on the premises in the case of fire or any other emergency, and must have an emergency evacuation procedure. Providers must have appropriate fire detection and control equipment (for example, fire alarms, smoke detectors, and fire extinguishers) which is in working order. Fire exits must be clearly identifiable, and fire doors must be free of obstruction and easily opened from the inside.

I only have a fire blanket, does everyone have fire extinguishers? I don't have my exits labelled :panic: Does everyone do this too?

This is what I was referring to in my post ^^

I have fire blanket from when they were required... I have smoke detectors linked to alarms and I check them weekly as advised...

I do not have an extinguisher because the local fire service have told me my priority is to get the children out and ring them...

I now have some signs on my conservatory and back door - no point on the front because it's covered with a curtain :laughing: however, when I first raised it in a thread a lot of people said no way were they putting up signs like that in their house...

I am not aware of anyone being picked up for it at inspection... yet... :D

Its frustrating to see how much conflicting advice there is. On the front of my fire blanket, there is actually a picture of how to use it to put out someone who is on fire! Hope link below works for showing what it looks like.

6835

Did anyone see the 24 hrs in A&E episode with the little girl whose clothes had caught on fire from their ?gas heater, and dad put it out with his hands, he had terrible burns too. And afterwards the dad said they didn't get rid of the gas heater!

Anyway - yes I agree the chance of a child catching fire should be absolute zero, if there's anything that could cause that (e.g. gas heater!) you should be managing the risks completely or get rid of it. But in some totally freak self-combustion accident, if I was near the blanket I'd probably still grab it to roll them in - I don't see how you could make things worse doing this, and hopefully you'd save your own hands from getting burnt?

Chocolateygoo, there certainly is a lot of conflicting advice when you are a childminder. I have been minding a few years now and sometimes it makes me want to rip my own head off:laughing:
I am doing my first aid refresher over the next two weekends. Interested to see what the current little gems of nonsense will be:laughing:
I used to try very hard to do everything absolutely correctly. I don't anymore because it makes me crazy!