Your Kitchen: Is it FIRE SAFE?

Owners of commercial kitchen establishments know that there are a million day-to-day maintenance tasks required for the upkeep of their venue’s kitchen, but the one that most often falls through the cracks is ensuring that it is fire safe. Yet, it is one of the most important.

A commercial kitchen is defined as any kitchen that has cooking equipment that produces grease and grease laden vapours, such as flat grills, char broilers and deep fryers. Here are the two most common types of kitchen equipment that produce grease and grease laden vapours, and what you need to install to make them safe.

• Deep Fryer – A major cause of kitchen fires due to oil splashing that can easily come in contact with surrounding flames. Therefore, a 16-inch clearance needs to be maintained between it and any surrounding open flam cooking equipment. If that is not possible, then a vertical steep barrier, at least 12-inches tall, must be used. It also needs to have a high temperature limiting device installed, which will shut off the fuel or energy whenever the oil exceeds certain extreme temperatures.
• Flat Grills – Typically used for frying hamburgers and bacon, it requires two protective components in order to be fire safe. The first, is a hood and ventilation system. The second, is an automatic extinguishing system.

A commercial  hood and ventilation system consists of an exhaust canopy, ductwork, fan system and ventilation system in order to effectively remove the heat, grease and vapours from the area. However, installing them is not enough, you also need to have them serviced and cleaned regularly. The grease that is being sucked out of the air will eventually build-up inside the system, and so will require frequent cleaning in order to prevent the risk of a grease fire and maintain a fire safe kitchen.

It can get very heated in the kitchen, particularly with naked flames, steam, fat, smoke and odours constantly produced. Which is why it is fundamental that your canopy cleaning complies with all safety standards and regulations. Grease Busters specialises in commercial kitchen canopy, exhaust and duct cleaning, and can guarantee that our specialist skills will ensure your kitchen is fire safe and a gleaming clean environment for your staff.