GREEN RIVER – Seniors having lunch at Golden Hour Senior Center received a free fire blanket from the Green River Fire Department Monday.

Tom Murphy, the public information officer for the department, said JME Fire Protection in Rock Springs donated 50 fire blankets to the center’s patrons. Murphy said fire blankets are useful in the kitchen, where they can be used to smother and extinguish a grease fire.

“You can put out a grease fire — you can put out any type of fire in your kitchen,” Murphy said.

He also said the blankets can be useful when camping as they can be used to extinguish a camp fire that has gotten out of control.

Murphy said the idea came while participating in an event at the Sweetwater County Library where JME allowed children to spray fires with a fire extinguisher. The department’s chaplain, Shawn Johnston, later contacted the company to gauge interest in them donating the fire blankets to Golden Hour’s patrons. They donated 50 at a cost Murphy estimates is $30 per blanket.

“It was very generous,” Murphy said.

Murphy said the fire department also helps seniors using oxygen to breathe, providing them fire safety valves to protect them from fires involving their oxygen systems.