Commercial kitchen fire suppression systems cater in fire safety.
Commercial kitchens are naturally hazardous environments. Hot fats and oils and the high temperatures that these environments operate under pose a significant fire risk.
This is why restaurants, cafés, canteens and other food preparation facilities need commercial kitchen fire suppression systems that can detect smoke or excessive heat and extinguish fires fast.
Learn more about kitchen fire solutions, compliance and inspection, and the benefits of installing a comprehensive system to protect food preparation facilities.
A commercial kitchen fire suppression system combines fire detection with extinguishers and sprinklers to ensure multiple lines of defence against fire outbreaks.
In fire suppression, early detection can mean the difference between saving kitchen equipment and extensive damage to appliances and facilities.
A complete fire suppression installation for commercial kitchens will often include F-class fire extinguishers which contain potassium salts. This chemical additive helps to cool and extinguish burning fats and oils. It is also safe to use in food preparation environments, as potassium salts are biodegradable and non-toxic with a neutral PH value. This means that they are harmless to food and appliances.
Your kitchen fire suppression system should be inspected monthly by a competent person within your business or organisation.
3 months Fire systems in general, whether in kitchens or other environments, should be serviced every three months (quarterly) by a registered and approved (SAQCC registered) fire solution technician who is competent in working with kitchen systems. | 1 year Although SANS 1475 states that extinguishers and other fire fighting equipment should be serviced annually, these refer to portable fire extinguishers that are typically housed in stable cabinets and enclosures. |
A system that includes early fire detection and automatic suppression allows you to react faster in the event of a spill or other accident involving hot fats and oils. Fires caused by flammable liquids spread rapidly if left unchecked, and burn at much higher temperatures than wood or paper fires.
In a commercial kitchen, regular Class A or B dry chemical fire extinguishers cannot be used. Besides burning at higher temperatures, kitchen greases can also splash when the incorrect extinguisher is used. This creates a risk of spreading fires instead of containing and suppressing them.
With over 50 years’ experience in fire safety solutions, East Rand Fire will ensure that your kitchen fire compliance meets national regulations and standards. Our SAQCC-registered technicians service a wide range of fire safety solutions used in commercial kitchens of all sizes. A regular servicing plan will ensure that your kitchens are safe to operate and that your kitchen can react at lightning speed to spills and other accidents.
Need a kitchen fire suppression installation or fire risk assessment? Contact East Rand Fire today for a no-obligation quote.
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The benefit of a fit-to-purpose kitchen suppression system is greater fire safety in an environment that is highly prone to fires due to the use of high temperatures and how busy commercial kitchens get – a recipe for accidents.
Further benefits of installing a fire suppression system in a commercial kitchen:
A high-functioning fire safety system ensures staff safety in the event of an accident
Suppression systems stop fires from spreading to other areas (such as dining areas that may have extensive flammable materials such as wood or carpeting)
Greater customer safety when a functioning kitchen fire prevention system is installed
Less damage to kitchen appliances and other equipment in the event of fire
No kitchen can be completely safeguarded against accidents (for example, fat deposits inside extraction devices may ignite at high temperatures). Besides regular, proper cleaning, kitchen fire suppression systems provide an additional line of defence.
Additional fire fighting equipment such as fire blankets may be kept close at hand to ensure that kitchen staff and other personnel have every possible defence against a rogue fire.
HOW DO
kitchen fire suppression systems work?
A typical commercial kitchen fire suppression system works to cool fires involving flammable liquids such as cooking oil while also depriving spilled substances or active flames of oxygen to prevent reignition once the fire is extinguished.
The chemical agent in kitchen suppression systems combines with oil to create a soapy, non-toxic layer which deprives the fire of oxygen.
A kitchen system contains pipelines and nozzles targeted to heat-generating equipment such as stoves, fryers, as well as areas where flammable materials may accumulate (such as extraction hoods). A system may be triggered via a heat-activated wire or may have a manual pull switch that activates the release of the suppressant.