4 Benefits of Employee Fire Extinguisher Training

Providing employees with fire extinguisher training is essential for a safe and secure workplace. Fire extinguishers are a vital part of any emergency preparedness plan. It’s even more critical that your staff knows how to use them properly in the event of a fire.

With proper fire extinguisher training, you can reduce the risk of workplace fires and give employees the knowledge they need to respond quickly and calmly in an emergency. This training will also create a safer work environment for everyone. Our fire extinguisher service in NJ will happily provide this training for you and your employees.

Read on to learn more about the benefits of employee fire extinguisher training.

Educate Employees About the Risks Associated With Fire

Employee fire extinguisher training ensures that all staff knows the risks associated with fires and how to respond in an emergency. With proper fire extinguisher training, everyone in the workplace will be better prepared and more confident in their ability to identify, control, and extinguish fires if they occur.

Having employees knowledgeable about fire safety and the skills to use a fire extinguisher can mean the difference between a minor incident and an uncontrollable blaze.

The Ability To Use a Fire Extinguisher Properly

Employees adequately trained to use a fire extinguisher can make all the difference when attempting to control a fire. With the proper knowledge and skills, employees will know how to use a fire extinguisher correctly, efficiently, and safely.

They will also be able to identify which type of extinguisher is best for certain types of fires, such as an ABC-rated extinguisher for combustible materials or a CO2-rated extinguisher for electrical equipment.

Your employees can also be trained to use special firefighting techniques such as the PASS method (pull, aim, squeeze, and sweep) to put out flames quickly and safely. With the help of our fire extinguisher service in NJ, you can properly educate your employees.

Help Employees Pinpoint The Location Of Fire Safety Equipment

When providing fire extinguisher training, employers should highlight where the nearest fire safety equipment is located in an emergency. Employees should also know how to access the fire alarm system and evacuate properly during a fire.

This knowledge will ensure that everyone knows what to do when faced with a potential emergency, helping them to stay calm and act quickly. Employers should ensure that employees are familiar with the workplace’s safety equipment and evacuation routes.

Learning About Proper Fire Safety Equipment Storage and Maintenance

Employees should also be trained on properly storing and maintaining fire safety equipment. Properly storing and caring for fire safety equipment is essential in ensuring that it remains ready for use in an emergency. Our fire extinguisher service in NJ can inspect and test your fire safety equipment regularly.

Call On Our Fire Extinguisher Service in NJ!

If your employees need fire extinguisher training, we can help. Our fire extinguisher service in NJ provides comprehensive training classes for clients.

4 Food Truck Fire Safety Tips

Running a food truck business can be an incredibly rewarding experience. Not only do you get to serve delicious food to your customers, but you also have the freedom and flexibility to run your own business on your terms.

However, fire safety is an important consideration when operating a food truck. Every food truck must take proper fire safety precautions to protect their business and customers from fire-related disasters. By understanding the importance of a fire suppression inspection in NJ, you can keep the area where you cook food safe.

There are also several other fire safety tips you need to know when running a food truck.

Have Your Fire Suppression System Inspected and Maintained

One of the most important fire safety tips for food truck owners is to have their fire suppression system inspected and serviced regularly. A fire suppression system is designed to limit fire damage by automatically sensing and suppressing fires before they become too large or spread out of control.

Having your fire suppression system inspected and serviced periodically helps ensure that it is working properly and can be relied on in an emergency. With the help of professionals, you will have no problem getting a quality fire suppression inspection in NJ.

Keep Fuel Tanks Away From Your Cooking Area

In addition to having your fire suppression system inspected and maintained, keeping the fuel tank and cooking areas away from each other is also important. Fuel tanks contain highly flammable substances, which can easily ignite if they come into contact with an open fire or high temperatures. To ensure fire safety in food trucks, keeping fuel tanks and cooking areas separate is essential.

Keep Your Fire Extinguisher In Good Working Condition

Keeping your fire extinguisher in good working condition is a critical fire safety measure every food truck owner should take. A fire extinguisher can be an essential tool to have on hand in the event of a fire emergency, and it can be used to contain and put out small fire outbreaks successfully.

Inspecting fire extinguishers regularly is important and ensuring they are in good condition and ready for use. Food truck owners should also ensure that their fire extinguisher is mounted securely and can be easily accessed. A fire protection professional can inspect and certify your extinguisher.

Don’t Leave Your Cooking Area Unattended

Never leaving your food truck unattended when cooking with open flames is an incredibly important fire safety measure for food truck owners. Open flames can quickly become out of control in the confined space of a food truck, and instances of fire outbreaks related to unattended open-flame cooking have been reported.

Installing fire alarms near the kitchen area is also a good idea to ensure that any fire-related emergencies can be detected as early as possible.

Schedule Your Fire Suppression Inspection in NJ Today!

You can keep your food truck safe with a thorough fire suppression inspection in NJ.

Four Types Of Restaurant Fires

What do you have to watch out for in the kitchen? Well, it depends somewhat on what kind of kitchen it is, and what type of staffing model you have, and what kind of food you’re making. But professionals supplying ansul fire suppression systems and other fire safety gear understand that restaurants face specific challenges when it comes to fire safety.

 

Just take a look at these four scenarios to understand how chemical fire suppression systems have to work effectively for commercial restaurant kitchens.

 

Collaboration and Tight Spaces

 

Everyone who’s been in the restaurant business knows that there are challenges to moving around in a busy kitchen. That’s why people have their own language, with etiquette, where people shout things like “behind!” and “corner!” as they move around with hot or heavy cargo, or in a space where someone else is concentrating on prepping food or doing some other task. This type of transparency helps to avoid situations where people can become distracted and emergencies like a fire can develop.

 

Overheating

 

Many other types of restaurant fires simply come from overheating some dish that’s sitting on a range, or in an oven or in some other piece of equipment.

 

All of that heating equipment that restaurants routinely use works well, as long as people know when to turn it off. But again, if staff get distracted and take their eye off the ball, something that’s getting properly cooked can turn into a combustible charred mass in an instant.

 

Other Kinds of Work Distraction

 

If you’ve ever seen someone wandering around a kitchen with a glazed look in their eye, you may be seeing signs of chronic restaurant stress.

 

The job takes its toll, and it’s not uncommon for someone to just stand there as certain problems develop with a sort of ‘deer in the headlights’ look.

 

But when the issue is fire safety, this can be extremely dangerous. Restaurant staff members need to know how to intervene when an incipient fire is in the making. Otherwise things can get out of control quickly!

 

Hot Oil Fires

 

Professionals also know that hot oil can flame up easily.

 

It only takes about 30 seconds for some oils to catch fire under heat. Different scenarios cause hot oil fires – maybe somebody put too much oil into too small of a pan, or maybe the oil bubbled up too much and spilled over. Hot oil can also cause scalding burns on contact, and it’s extremely important to deal with these ingredients in a safe and proper way.

 

Any of these things can cause a catastrophic kitchen fire. Restaurant owners and workers rely on ansul fire suppression systems to help them extinguish any fires before they spiral into a worse type of emergency situation. Because of all the quickly combustible materials and processes that go on in the kitchen, having these modern systems is absolutely important!

 

Turn to Atlantic Fire Protection for systems that are modern and fill the need for restaurant and commercial safety.

 

 

Playing A Vital Role

In fire safety and fire suppression systems, our products and services play a vital role.

 

What does that mean?

 

It means that there is a particular context to the ways that we protect ourselves and our buildings against fire. This is worth thinking about when you have a responsibility to maintain fire safety anywhere. 

 

Combustion and Standards

 

One of the other ways that our society has protected us against fire is with building standards like ASTM standards that focus on flammability and other factors, and get applied in manufacturing and beyond. 

 

You can see all of these detailed standards at work in all aspects of the construction pipeline. They are present in the manufacturing of materials, in the delivery and installation of materials and in the turnkey systems that eventually have homes and other buildings open for use.

 

The standards themselves are fairly wordy and in-depth. Engineers will test for things like flame spread and oxygenation factor over time in order to try to predict how fire would move through an interior space. They’ll evaluate the fire retardant nature of materials that are combined to form interior installations. All of this ups the game for real fire safety. 

 

Real Protection

 

But in combination with the standards, you can also have superior fire suppression equipment.

 

You can have things like ansul suppression systems that will protect against quicker or expedited combustion, and you can have systems that will sense smoke and warn of the imminence of fire. This combination of tools and resources really does keep people safe!

 

You can also have chemical products that will smother flame or inhibit flame from growing inside of a building.

 

Another way to think about this is to contrast the old way of thinking with new ways of thinking about fire safety.

 

Ye Old Fire Department

 

In ancient days, the response to the fire was initiated after the flames had already become evident.

 

Perhaps a fire company showed up with a tanker, the earliest of which were usually horse-drawn, and threw some water on the fire.

 

They didn’t have the modern types of things that we have now with ansul systems, fancy hoods and more, to extinguish or suppress flame when something catches fire.

 

Today’s preemptive systems play a vital role in keeping everyone and their financial assets safe. Take a look at what we offer to stakeholders like fire safety specialists and others who want to make sure that fires in a building don’t get out of hand. These products help with even very aggressive fires like grease fires and other kinds of threat of conflagration

 

Life Safety Equipment Restaurants Should Have

Suppose you’re planning to open a restaurant or operate a commercial kitchen. In that case, it is essential to familiarize yourself with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) lists the life safety requirements for restaurants. The NFPA’s 101 Life Safety Code provides the minimum standards to ensure a reasonable degree of safety for building occupants and structures in the event of a fire. 

 

While a good portion of the code pertains to egress, recognizing that safety is not only about escape, the NFPA includes requirements that are intended to minimize the danger of exposure to a fire’s heat, smoke, and toxic gasses and provide time for occupants to get out of a building or space. These requirements will be based on your building’s occupancy load, including customers and employees.

 

Fire Protection Equipment Restaurants Should Have

For restaurants and commercial kitchens, fire protection equipment is essential to the safety of people and structures. In Chapter 9 of the Life Safety Code, descriptions of fire protection equipment restaurants should have been explicitly explained. The safety of the occupants of a building depends on early warning in the event of a fire. Early warning equipment such as audible and visible fire alarms and emergency exit lighting is critical to accomplishing a safe exit when a fire is detected. 

 

Life-Saving Kitchen Fire Suppression Systems 

Kitchen fire suppression systems provide the foundation for fire safety in your commercial kitchen, where the risk of fire is the greatest. According to the NFPA, automatic fire suppression systems and equipment are required in all commercial kitchens. The equipment is necessary for exhaust duct systems, grease removal devices, hood exhaust plenums, and any cooking equipment that produces grease-laden vapors. 

 

Wet chemical fire suppression systems are most typically used in modern restaurants and commercial kitchens as an effective tool for managing fires. These systems extinguish fires by spraying a chemical agent that reacts to fats commonly found in greases used in cooking. Wet chemical fire suppression systems are also connected to gas supply lines that, when activated, interrupt the gas supply to the cooking surfaces as an additional safety measure.

 

Commercial Kitchen Ventilation Systems 

Commercial kitchen ventilation systems are designed to work with fire suppression systems. The ventilation system in your commercial kitchen should meet at least the minimum requirement outlined by the NFPA. A fire suppression system must be installed inside the hoods above the kitchen’s cooking equipment. This system is intended to quickly douse fires caused by flammable, grease-laden vapors before spreading to the rest of the kitchen. 

Portable Fire Extinguishers Needed In Your Commercial Kitchen

The NFPA requires portable fire extinguishers to extinguish certain types of fires based on their classifications. Class K fire extinguishers are designed to extinguish fires involving oils, grease, and fats that burn at high temperatures. Class K extinguishers can also be combined with Classes A, B, and C extinguishers designed to manage fires involving other materials such as wood, fiber, etc. Employees should be trained to use fire extinguishers in the restaurant and commercial kitchen and all units should be inspected monthly to ensure they are in proper working condition. 

 

Final Thoughts

Regarding life safety equipment in your restaurant or commercial kitchen, fire prevention, detection, and suppression are critical components. To ensure you have a safe space to operate your business, consult with a fire protection service that can install and maintain the fire suppression systems in your commercial kitchen. 

What To Know About Commercial Kitchen Ventilation Systems

Commercial kitchen ventilation systems are crucial components of a safe and healthy workplace environment. Hoods above cooking areas such as stoves, griddles, fryers, and grills are essential for commercial kitchen ventilation systems that draw air and debris away from the cooking surface and out of the building. The hood over a cooking surface may seem unremarkable, but what appears to be a simple box at first glance houses a complex system of interconnected parts that work in tandem for efficient ventilation. 

 

To effectively remove some debris from the air, a commercial hood ventilation system requires numerous functioning parts of an exhaust system that begin with the equipment directly above the cooking surface. It runs to the roof of the building. Let’s look at the anatomy of a commercial ventilation system.

 

Commercial Kitchen Hood

The hood is the central hub for the interior exhaust system that houses many other critical components of the ventilation system. Generally, the hood sits directly above the cooking surface to catch and direct as much smoke and debris as possible that comes from the surface. 

 

Upblast Exhaust Fan

These fans sit on the restaurant’s exterior on the roof or the side of the building and drive exhaust out of the ventilation system. Upblast exhaust fans should be equipped with one or more grease filters to prevent grease from spilling onto the roof or building. 

 

Make-up Air Unit

The make-up air unit’s job is to replace the exhaust removed from the cooking area with non-contaminated air. These units can be either tempered or non-tempered and should replace 100 percent of the removed exhaust with clean at peak performance.

 

Commercial Kitchen Hood Fire Suppression Systems

All commercial kitchen hood systems must have fire suppression systems that pass certification by successfully extinguishing an oil fire above 680 degrees Fahrenheit. Hood fire suppression systems release chemical agents or water to achieve these results. Depending on codes, fire suppression systems can be mounted inside the hood or nearby. 

 

Hood Filter Bank

The hood filter bank houses the grease filter that catches oil and debris before they enter the exhaust system. If too much waste and grease make it into the exhaust system, decomposition is accelerated, and the risk of fire increases. 

 

Two Primary Types Of Commercial Kitchen Ventilation Hoods 

  • Type 1- The first commercial kitchen ventilation hood is necessary for cooking surfaces that expel grease. These hoods are fully-welded and located on a wall or ceiling, depending on where the cooking surface sits. 
  • Type 2- The second hood type is used when the cooking surface produces only heat and condensation. These hoods don’t have a grease filter and can be fully welded or constructed from a standard galvanized duct. 

 

Commercial Kitchen Fire Systems And Other Commercial Installations

Commercial Kitchen Fire Systems And Other Commercial Installations

When you think about fire control systems, what do you think of?

For most people, they think of something simple like a fire extinguisher. But commercial fire suppression systems are much different.

Modern restaurant and commercial fire suppression systems have to do with using chemicals to effectively control things like heat and flame in an indoor area.

The Four Methods

There are four major methods for chemical fire suppression – cooling, smothering, starving, and interrupting the combustion process.

This is different than just fighting fire with water after a conflagration has broken out.

These complex chemicals address the overall state of their environment and are able to put out even raging fires or intercept activity as fires build.

Commercial Fires

One reason that commercial companies invest in these fire suppression systems is that commercial fires can be uniquely dangerous.

Take a grease fire in a restaurant, or a fire coming from a large commercial range.

In both of these cases, the fire can be exacerbated by the size of operations and the way that heat and flame are being used.

So a modern fire suppression system with the ability to shut down a grease fire or other fire is extremely valuable.

There is a precise science at work here that organic chemists would be familiar with. Others of us may not be as familiar with the chemistry, but that’s okay: you don’t need a chemistry degree to get adequate fire suppression support and risk mitigation systems installed in commercial areas.

Realistically thinking, though, managers and business leaders need to be very deliberate in considering fire treatment and fire safety systems for commercial properties.

After all, there’s quite a bit of liability involved that goes beyond what you would encounter in a residential environment.

And then, as mentioned, there are also the commercial or industrial heavy-duty processes that can raise risks, too.

With that in mind, it’s an excellent benefit to have a professional service provider that understands chemical fire suppression and practical systems based on this sort of technology.

Having that fire safety installation in place makes it possible for business owners and other stakeholders to move forward with confidence, in managing a commercial kitchen or some other type of business process.

Take a look on the website for more about what we do, and the fire chemical suppression systems we provide.

With support for commercial kitchen upgrades and help with UL standards and OSHA requirements, we help clients toward compliance in this demanding field, and through any challenges they may face with getting adequate fire suppression systems in place.

Three Key Factors to Consider for Your Food Truck Design

If you’re planning to expand your restaurant business, you’re making the right choice by choosing food trucks. Food trucks are always a practical choice because they help you to be more mobile when you’re advertising your business, increase your customer base, and travel to new different neighborhoods. 

 

Using a food truck is a brilliant strategy for you to make your restaurant business more functional and provide a great service to customers. When you’re getting started with a food truck, it is critical for you to think about the ideal design that you should be using. Here are three key factors that you should consider for your food truck design.

 

Quality Lighting

 

Your food truck should have a properly designed lighting system that helps to reduce energy costs and improve your working environment. Quality illumination enhances the mood of your truck and also makes your truck stand out when you’re driving at night. Consider installing LED lighting, strip and rope lights, standing lights, and other common lighting systems.

 

Customized Shelving and Cabinets

 

Are you using the right shelving system to store all your supplies? Using customized shelving and cabinets makes your food truck more unique and minimizes problems in your kitchen. 

 

The interior of your truck can be extremely chaotic and stressful if you don’t have enough space. Your business will not operate efficiently if you struggle with this issue regularly. That is why you need to consider using customized shelving and cabinets that align with your needs. The shelving system that you incorporate also makes it easier for you to stay organized and keep your kitchen running more smoothly. 

 

Fire Suppression System

 

A fire suppression system should be installed in your food truck to prevent fires and keep your staff safe. A fire suppression system can prevent significant damage to your food truck and could help you to run your business with more confidence when you’re on the road. You can also rely on certified installers to provide you with a professional fire suppression system installation service.

 

Key Takeaway

 

Driving a food truck could be an awesome upgrade for your restaurant business. Once you decide to use a food truck, you want the peace of mind that you’re using the best design that’s right for you. Fortunately, you can rely on knowledgeable professionals to provide you with exceptional design services.

 

Contact us at Atlantic Fire Protection to learn more about our food truck designs and fire safety maintenance services to prevent potential fire risks to your food truck.

 

Framework For Commercial Fire Evacuation Plan

For many businesses and organizations, fire prevention and safety play a critical role in keeping employees, customers, and property safe in an emergency. Each year fires affect commercial buildings and businesses where damages are extensive. While fires themselves are dangerous enough, the threat of injury and loss of life can be compounded by chaos and panic if your company is unprepared. The best way to prevent loss of life and severe damage in the event of a fire is to develop and implement a well-developed evacuation plan. Not only will a detailed evacuation plan provide direction in the event of a fire, but also in other emergencies where people need to exit buildings quickly. 

Whether your company is developing its initial fire evacuation plan or you want to improve upon existing emergency procedures, these steps will help guide you through the process to ensure your people and property are kept safe. 

Envision Multiple Scenarios

When you begin structuring your fire evacuation, explore various threats that your business may face in the event of a fire. While most fire safety and evacuation standards have a broad range of implications, each business is unique and thus will have specific needs that should be met. 

Some questions you should answer include:

  • What areas are high risk for a fire? (kitchens, cooking equipment, mechanical rooms, electrical boxes, etc.)
  • How and why might a fire start? 
  • What are my evacuation concerns? 
  • What if ‘X’ happens? 

Thinking through these questions will help you establish a framework for creating an action plan by considering how a fire emergency could affect your business. 

Establish Responsibilities And Roles

Employees of your company will look to their leaders for guidance in a fire emergency. Establish clear roles and responsibilities for your management and create a chain of command. Determine what positions are essential for your business’s specific needs and who should be in these positions. Some primary positions to consider as part of your fire evacuation plan are the following:

* Chief of Evacuation Plan is responsible for administering the plan.

* Assistant Chief issues mass alert system, including notifying employees, emergency agencies, and other essential people.

* Route Guides ensure that evacuation routes are clear, that people exit in an orderly fashion, and that floors are cleared.

* Fire Extinguisher is responsible for using fire extinguishing equipment to get people safely exited.

Designate A Routine Inspection Of Your Fire Protection Equipment

If your fire extinguishing equipment is outdated, it will not keep you and your property safe in a fire. Designate a timeframe for inspecting your fire safety equipment to ensure your business is outfitted appropriately and all systems are operable, including: 

* Fire alarms and fire extinguishing systems

* Emergency lighting

* Emergency doors

* Secondary evacuation equipment like ladders if applicable

* Clear emergency and exit signage

By following these steps, you can develop the framework for a high-quality commercial fire evacuation plan.

Great Tips For Providing Restaurant Employees With Fire Safety Training

Opening a new restaurant can be a very stressful process. Some of the things you need to make your restaurant venture successful are great employees, reliable equipment and well-planned marketing campaigns. Making sure your employees receive proper training can help you avoid problems along the way. 

Every year, nearly 6,000 restaurant building fires occur in the United States. Many of these fires get out of control due to the absence of fire safety equipment. Having a functional fire suppression system and a Class K fire extinguisher can do wonders when trying to put out kitchen fires. You also need to make sure your team members know how to use these tools in the event of a fire. 

Below are some tips for providing restaurant employees with fire safety training. 

The Importance of Clean Hood Filters 

When cooking food in a commercial kitchen, lots of greases and cooking oils will be used. As a restaurant owner, you need to make sure you have a large enough commercial hood to cover the cooking appliances used in your kitchen. This hood will need to feature a fire suppression system to mitigate the risks posed by cooking fires. 

The average restaurant hoods will have a series of metal filters in them. These filters will become coated in grease over time. If these filters are not cleaned regularly, they can catch on fire and damage your commercial kitchen. Teaching your employees how to clean these filters can help you prevent kitchen fires. If your team isn’t comfortable doing this work, then hiring professionals to come in and clean your hood filters is important. 

Make Sure Employees Know How To Use a Fire Extinguisher

A functional fire extinguisher is the first line of defense when a kitchen fire occurs. Commercial kitchens are usually equipped with Class K fire extinguishers. These extinguishers have a specially designed chemical designed to put out cooking fires. 

Unless your employees know how to use one of these extinguishers, it will be useless if a fire breaks out. This is why proving employees with hands-on fire extinguisher training is important. Working with fire protection professionals is the best way to provide adequate training to your employees. 

Relay The Importance of Removing Trash For The Kitchen

Avoiding commercial kitchen fires is something most restaurant owners are passionate about. If you want to accomplish this goal, then keeping trash out of your kitchen is vital. Paper and cardboard trash can catch on fire if it is exposed to the heat from your cooking appliances. This is why making sure trash is removed from your commercial kitchen quickly is important. Relaying the importance of removing trash from a commercial kitchen can help you keep your employees and restaurant safe. If you notice trash is allowed to pile up in your commercial kitchen, reprimanding your employees will be necessary. 

If you want to keep your employees and restaurant safe, then you need to implement the tips covered in this article.