Are MRE Heaters Actually Dangerous


The purpose of an MRE is to have a quick easy meal without the use of the usual cooking materials. In order for this to happen, there needs to be some kind of heater or cooker that comes with an MRE.

Meals Ready to Eat (MRE) heaters can be dangerous. Known as Flameless Ration Heaters (FRH), they use a chemical reaction in order to heat up the food to over 100 degrees. If not treated or used correctly, this amount of heat can be a fire hazard.

The potential danger of MRE heaters can be underestimated, which is why we need to talk about how they work, how dangerous they can be, and how to properly deal with them.

Are MRE Heaters Actually Dangerous?

MRE heaters believe it or not can be dangerous. These MRE heaters are referred to as Flameless Ration Heaters (FRH’s) due to the fact that they don’t use flame or fire to heat up.

This is due to chemical reaction that happens within the FRH. We’ll dive into this chemical reaction in the next section.

To put it simply, if water interacts with the FRH, the chemical reaction starts, and becomes a fire hazard.

In the words of the actual military,

Un-activated MRE heaters pose a potential fire hazard if they become wet

Source

There is actually laws put into place by U.S. department of Agriculture Forest Service against collecting and storing unused FRH’s. Source

The good news about all of this is that the actual chemical reaction can only happen once in each FRH. So if you actually use your FRH you have nothing to worry about.

You also have little to worry about if you keep it in the original MRE package and if you keep it out of damp places.

It is needless to say that FRH’s can be dangerous, but if you treat them right they will be more than ok.

How MRE Heaters work

Flameless Ration Heaters use a chemical reaction of powdered magnesium, iron, salt, and water.

The magnesium, iron, and salt are already in the package. So when someone adds water to these materials, it start that reaction that we are talking about.

“To make a flameless heater, magnesium dust is mixed with salt and a little iron dust in a thin, flexible pad about the size of a playing card. To activate the heater, a soldier adds a little water.”

Source

Below is a video describing what goes on in the reaction and it actually shows the FRH heating up.

As you can see, this is usually not a huge danger. With that being said, if in the right situation, this can obviously lead to some pretty nasty results.

Worst Case Scenario

At this point you might be confused. The video above shows, at least to me, a very mild reaction. I did not see how this could be a fire hazard until I started reading up.

According to studies done on the combustibility of FRH’s,

Temperatures in excess of 215°F (102°C) and violent ignition events were observed

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Obviously this is a little above the 77°F that your dad sets the house to on the thermostat.

So let’s talk worst case scenario. What is the absolute worst thing that can happen if the chemical reaction in an FRH were to take place at the wrong time?

In a warning put out by those who work with FRH’s,

If the MRE is exposed to fire and the magnesium powder ignites, a Class D Combustible Metal fire will occur. In the event that the plastic pouch containing the FRH melts and the contents are exposed to water, hydrogen gas may be produced

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Obviously nobody wants these two scenarios to occur. If a fire is occurring and it hits the MRE’s, the fire will only speed up exponentially. Along with this, metals would now be involved with the fire, making it even more dangerous.

Along with this, if water is exposed to the FRH, hydrogen may be produced which makes fires grow even quicker.

Again talking worst case scenario, if a fire were to start in your home, and it ends up reaching where you leave your MRE’s bad things will happen. This is especially the case if water is used to try to put the fire out.

Again, I cannot stress enough that this is a worst case scenario.

Usually FRH’s are perfectly fine and safe. But the question of this article is whether MRE heaters are dangerous. While they are usually safe, they can be potentially very dangerous.

Proper Care Of MRE Heaters

Given the chemical reaction that is capable in these things it is important to keep them safe. There are really 2 major keys to doing this right. First is storage, and second is disposal of the FRH.

Storage

The main key to proper storage is to keep them in a cool dry place. You do not want your FRH interacting with any kind of water until you decide to add water yourself.

A closet could be a perfect place for this, or a cupboard. A bad place would be somewhere like a fridge where there are all kinds of liquids.

Another key to this safety is frequently checking them to see if there is any potential for them to interact with liquid.

Whether it is a leak from the house, or a bottle of water, you need to make sure they stay away from liquid no matter what.

Disposal

The big issue occurs when you try and dispose or throw away the FRH. Again, if it has already been activated, there is nothing to worry about.

The problem comes when you want to get rid of an unused FRH.

MRE heaters that have not been properly activated must be disposed of as hazardous waste. Disposing of an unactivated MRE heater in a solid waste container is against the law. Un-activated MRE heaters pose a potential fire hazard if they become wet when turned in at a landfill site

Source

It is usually fairly easy to find a place where you can dispose of hazardous wastes, including the FRH.

In the end, while Flameless Ration Heaters are not usually a danger, they need to be taken care of the right way so that they do not present any real danger.

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