Emergency Blanket 2.1 x 1.6m - Reflective Thermal Foil

A reflective emergency blanket, 2.1 x 1.6m, that folds down to almost nothing and weighs almost nothing - which is exactly why it belongs in every kit, vehicle and pack. Also called a space blanket or thermal blanket, it is used to slow heat loss from a casualty in shock or exposed to cold.

Features

• Lightweight reflective foil material
• 2.1 x 1.6m, large enough to wrap an adult fully
• Packs flat and weighs very little
• Windproof and waterproof, cutting convective and evaporative heat loss
• Reusable if undamaged, though it creases permanently

Specifications

• Size: 2.1m x 1.6m
• Material: Reflective foil
• Use: Shock management, hypothermia prevention, exposure

How an emergency blanket actually works

It is worth being precise, because the name oversells it. A foil blanket generates no heat of its own. What it does is cut the three ways a body loses heat to its surroundings: it reflects radiated heat back, it blocks wind so warm air is not stripped from the skin, and it is waterproof so evaporation stops. The result is that someone loses heat far more slowly - not that they are warmed up. That distinction matters in practice: wrap the casualty including the head, get insulation underneath them as well as over, because the ground pulls heat out faster than the air does, and remove wet clothing first where you safely can. A blanket over wet clothes on cold ground is doing a fraction of its job. It is a holding measure while help arrives, not a treatment for hypothermia.

Common uses

Workplace, vehicle and remote first aid kits; sports sidelines and endurance events; camping, hiking and marine kits; and emergency and disaster response. Add one to a first aid kit, or browse the wider first aid supplies range at MediBC.