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.

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.

Fire extinguishers are effective in slowing down the spread of a fire, which helps to minimize property damage and for the people inside your building to escape the fire.

What are the common causes of fires in buildings? Most commercial fires occur from heating equipment, electrical and lighting equipment, smoking materials, and misuse of a heated source.

This article explores four key things business owners should know about fire extinguishers. Here’s how you can keep your building safe.

Maintenance and Inspection

You can mistakenly assume that you don’t have to maintain or inspect a fire extinguisher once it is installed inside your building. Without regular maintenance, your device can fail when you have a fire accident. It is known that about 30% of fire extinguishers fail to work properly. So, it’s a good idea for you to have your portable fire extinguishers professionally inspected at least once per year.

There are significant damages that you won’t see on your fire extinguishers unless they are properly inspected. A professional can inspect your device for signs of damages or deterioration, potential leaks or hose blockage, and other issues.

Durability

Can you remember the last time you installed your fire extinguisher? Keep in mind that fire extinguishers need to be replaced. A simple way for you to determine if you should replace your fire device is to check for damages. Replace your unit if you discover rust or corrosion,  damage to components, or damage to the cylinder.

You should also get a replacement if your fire unit fails a hydrostatic test. Your fire extinguisher must pass a hydrotest every 12 years to ensure its effectiveness.

Their Location

The location of fire extinguishers in your building is important. Your fire extinguishers should be easily accessible to all your employees. So, be sure to place your unit near potential fire hazards. These locations may include the kitchen, near exit doors, mounted on walls in hallways, and other common locations.

Proper Disposal

Fire extinguishers should be properly disposed of. It is advised to dispose of a fire extinguisher at a local hazardous waste disposal facility. You can also contact your local fire department to inquire if they accept drop-offs.

Do You Need a Fire Safety Plan for Your Business?

The installation of fire extinguishing devices can help you whenever there is an accidental fire at your workplace. As a business owner, you have the important duty to protect your employees and commercial property with the best fire extinguishers.

You can also get them professionally inspected. Contact us at Atlantic Fire Protection to learn how we can provide you with exceptional services.

Is your restaurant considered safe and code-compliant? When you’re operating your restaurant business around the clock, you want the assurance that you’re using emergency lights. The installation of quality emergency lighting is key to the successful operation of your restaurant business. An emergency lighting system can provide so many benefits to you as a restaurant owner and to your customers. 

Let’s explore the major benefits that you can receive from the use of an emergency lighting system.

Customer and Employee Safety

Lighting is critical for the operation of any business. When there is a blackout, the safety of your customers and employees comes first. Without quality lighting, it’s easier for people to get injured during an emergency. Good lighting also creates fewer hassles when people inside the building can see where they’re going to make a hasty exit. Regardless of the size of your restaurant, you need assurance that you’re using quality lighting in case of any type of emergency. 

Better Stairway Illumination

Stairway lighting is an important responsibility that you can easily forget or overlook. You need good lighting if you run your restaurant at night. Quality emergency lighting systems play a critical role in the safety of your stairways. 

A blackout can occur at any time. People inside your building can be helpless or feel trapped if your stairways are not properly illuminated. Taking the risk to evacuate your restaurant can be dangerous if people are unable to see your stairways. Proper illumination for the indoors or outdoors makes your restaurant environment safer, more entertaining, and inviting. 

Accidental Fires

Emergency lighting systems come in handy in the event of accidental fires. Your lighting systems can help to guide people outside as quickly as possible if there is an emergency fire or other type of emergency. In addition to having an evacuation plan, it is also helpful for you to rely on your emergency lighting. 

Quality Illumination and Emergency Lighting is Critical for Your Business

Quality lighting is an important aspect of your restaurant business. When the lights go out, great chaos and stress can occur. You can have better peace of mind about the safety of people in your restaurant by using the best emergency lighting systems. This is a sound decision to make your restaurant less hazardous and code-compliant.

Do you need a professional inspection of your emergency lights and exit signs? You can count on the knowledgeable team at Atlantic Fire Protection to provide you with the annual inspection that you need to ensure the safety of your restaurant. Give us a call today to learn how we can assist you.

Opening a restaurant is both an exciting and an overwhelming endeavor. With finances on the line, the journey to owning the restaurant of your dreams can be filled with unexpected twists and turns. The last thing you need is to be faced with additional expenses before opening your restaurant’s doors to your customers. 

One of the most critical decisions you will face before opening your restaurant is what type of insurance coverage you need for your business. You may be inclined to put off purchasing insurance coverage until you get a steady cash flow coming in from customers; however, anything can happen at any time, even in the first few months of operation. 

While your restaurant may be housed in a modern, well-maintained building and have top-of-the-line fire prevention and protection equipment, having insurance before opening day is vital to the success of your business. 

Let’s look at three insurance risk factors every restaurant owner should consider. 

Food Safety

Food safety is always a concern for people who own restaurants, as contamination and spoilage can occur at any given time. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the most frequently reported restaurant injury is food poisoning. Food can become hazardous to health for mechanical failure, power outage, and improper handling. Not only can food poisoning ruin your restaurant’s reputation, but it can also cost you damages if sued by patrons. 

Improper Safety Equipment

Restaurants can be dangerous places if not outfitted with proper safety equipment. Kitchen and grease fires account for most property damage and employee injuries found in the restaurant business. Having adequate safety equipment to meet the unique demands of your space and industry is essential to ensuring your property, employees, and customers remain safe. Such equipment includes emergency lights and exit signs and Ansul fire suppression systems. 

On-The-Job Injury And Illness 

Your restaurant should have a documented safety program in place for employees to be trained in on-the-job safety in your workplace. However, a well-formed safety program doesn’t always prevent illness or injury from occurring in your restaurant. Most states require restaurants to provide worker’s compensation insurance to employees to cover job-related injuries or illnesses. If you fail to maintain such insurance coverage, you may be penalized as well as held liable if an issue occurs with an employee. 

Final Thoughts

While you may be tempted to put off purchasing insurance coverage for your new restaurant, consider these and other existing risk factors. Protecting your business and your investment is essential to your long-term success. 

Based on information from the National Fire Protection Association or NFPA, between 2010 and 2014, there were over 7,400 fires in bars and restaurants every year. Each year, restaurants in these establishments result in fatalities, injuries, and millions of dollars in property damage.

Of all the fires considered by NFPA, over 59% of them began in the kitchen. This illustrates how important it is to understand and implement the proper fire safety equipment and practices.
Keep reading to learn more about the importance of proper commercial kitchen fire safety and employee training to reduce the risk of a devastating fire in your commercial kitchen.

Tips for Preventing Commercial Kitchen Fires

Mechanical or electrical failures caused around 26% of the fires studied in the report mentioned above. They also occur due to the malfunction of kitchen appliances and equipment.

Because of this, preventative maintenance is necessary to reduce the risk of a fire.

Maintaining Kitchen Exhaust Systems and Appliances

Your appliances and exhaust system need to be working properly to prevent serious issues. Some steps to provide proper maintenance include:

Electrical equipment must be inspected and maintained regularly to find hazards that may result in a fire.

Malfunctioning or damaged appliances should be repaired by professionals right away.

Deep fat fryers should be located away from any open flame cooking equipment.

Invest in regular cleaning and maintenance for your kitchen exhaust system to prevent grease build-up.

Maintaining Kitchen Fire Suppression Equipment and Systems

When it comes to fire safety in a commercial kitchen, you must make sure you are compliant with all fire safety regulations related to the inspection, testing, and maintenance of your property’s fire suppression system. It’s also essential that you know the regulations relevant to all other aspects of fire safety, such as emergency lighting.

Some tips to help with this maintenance include:

Keep portable fire extinguishers nearby as a backup.

Have your kitchen fire suppression system inspected and tested regularly.

Regularly inspect and test your building’s fire alarms.

Test all exit and emergency lighting.

Housekeeping Tasks to Help Prevent Kitchen Fires

Good housekeeping and cleanliness can help to significantly reduce the overall risk of fires in a commercial kitchen. This is important because the information from NFPA has shown that up to 22% of the fires that take place in commercial kitchens every year occur because of the staff’s failure to clean.

To avoid this situation, it is a good idea to make sure your staff is properly trained on the right ways to clean a commercial kitchen. Investing in this now can help you save a lot of money in the future.

Keeping Your Commercial Kitchen Safe from Fire

If you want to minimize the possibility of a fire in your commercial kitchen, be sure to use the tips and information found here. Doing so will pay off and help ensure you don’t have to deal with a devastating fire on your property. Being informed is the best way to prevent commercial kitchen fires.

Depending on what industry you work in, the possibility and risk of fire are impacted by certain factors. The size of your building, the presence and use of heat-producing equipment, building occupancy, and more all impact your building’s property risk. 

Remaining aware of these factors will help everyone (employees and employers) maintain a safe and hazard-free work environment. While some situations and incidents are uncontrollable, many fires are caused by human error. Keep reading to learn some of the most common fire hazards based on your industry. 

Manufacturing and Industrial Properties 

According to NFPA (the National Fire Protection Association), lighting and electrical malfunctions are the top causes of structural fires at various industrial properties. In fact, heating equipment is at the top of the list regarding causes of structure fires in manufacturing facilities. 

Additionally, these facilities are at a higher risk of fire because they typically store combustible materials and flammable gasses, and liquids are used often. Combustible and flammable materials must stay away from potential ignition sources. 

Motel and Hotel Fires 

Mixed-use properties, such as hotels can house several fire dangers. In some cases, the challenges are hard to manage. 

You may believe electrical fires and smoking materials are the main cause of hotel fires; however, the truth is, the most common cause of a fire in commercial kitchen equipment. In fact, kitchen fires are attributed to about 50% of all hotel and motel fires, making them the biggest cause. 

Healthcare Fires 

Just like other industries, fires at healthcare facilities can be caused by several sources. Heat-producing equipment, improper storage of flammables and combustibles, and faulty electrical wiring are all causes of fires in healthcare facilities. 

The factors vary from one facility to another, such as nursing homes and hospitals. Like many other industries, cooking is one of the main causes of fires in different medical facilities and is attributed to about 60% of these situations. Other factors that play a big role in medical facility fires include equipment and electrical malfunctions. 

Oil and Gas Industry

Malfunctioning electrical motors, ignition of flammable liquids from a mobile generator, and improper hot-work practices are all the top causes of fires in the gas and oil industry. From catalytic converters on vehicles to welding operations, there are several ignition sources in this industry. The risk of explosions is also a huge concern because hot work causes sparks, igniting flammable vapors and gases. 

Invest in Professional Fire Protection Services 

Regardless of your industry, you must invest in and implement the best fire protection services. From fire extinguishers and Ansul suppression systems to emergency lights and exit signs, investing in fire protection components will pay off and help ensure your business and employees remain safe and hazard-free. Also, with the right fire suppression equipment installed, you can feel confident that you can handle the situation if a fire does occur.

We cannot underestimate the importance of fire protection systems. Commercial buildings such as restaurants, schools, hospitals, and homes have a kitchen. There’s cooking to some degree in all of these places, which means there is greater potential for fire hazards. The three main elements to safeguarding a building and the people inside are fire protection, prevention, and suppression. All three elements work together to keep the people and property safe.

 Fire Protection

Fire protection systems help protect the building and minimize the damage in case there is a fire. They provide wide windows for a safe evacuation and attempt to reduce the potential cost of repairing after the damage. These systems can be active fire detectors or passive structural changes. 

 Fire Prevention

Fire prevention systems are to reduce the building’s fire load. Fire load helps determine the potential severity and is based on fire hazards in the building. Safe storage of combustible material and the proper care of ignition points, such as plug sockets and other heating systems, are measures taken to reduce fire risk. Scheduled fire safety inspections and risk assessments can go a long way to prevent fire on the property. It is a proactive system that identifies and removes fire hazards. 

 Fire Suppression

The main purpose of a fire suppression system is to extinguish a fire as quickly as possible. Most fire suppression systems have built-in components to detect fires at the initial stages through smoke, heat, and other warning signs. These components come with an alarm system to automatically alert the occupants and release suppressants’ applications. A few fire suppression systems use a manual application release to put out the fire. 

 Manually or automatically, fire suppression systems emit a substance that will suppress the fire. The substances may vary, depending on the type of environment. 

 Substances in Fire Suppression Systems

Environmentally friendly chemical reagents are used to keep spaces like data centers water-free and ecologically safe. 

• Carbon Dioxide in fire suppression systems is efficient and makes clean-up easy. So, it is also cost-effective as it reduces downtime. 
• Fire suppression systems using wet chemicals are usually helpful in restaurants. These are used in the form of a fine mist and can extinguish fires quickly. They are also easier to clean than dry chemicals. 
• Dry chemicals are more suited for industrial spaces as they are high-hazard locations. 

The Final Word

Knowing about the different aspects of protection from fire is only the start. Taking action by seeking professional services, from inspection to suppression, is your best bet for keeping the people and property safe. 

Commercial fires are fairly common, especially in restaurants. According to the National Fire Protection Association, an average of 8,240 fires occur each year in drinking and eating establishments. These fires often result in civilian deaths, injuries, and millions of dollars in property damages.

It is also known that most restaurant fires commonly start in the kitchen. Most of these fire events are traced to a faulty stove or other kitchen appliances.

What can you do to protect your restaurant and employees from a potential fire episode? Keep reading to discover 5 fire prevention tips that you can use to keep your business safe.

1. Cooking Equipment Maintenance

The maintenance of your kitchen equipment is a helpful way to prevent a potential fire. Ensure that all your cooking equipment is in excellent working condition. This extra precaution can also help to extend the lifespan of your kitchen equipment  and to save your business from unnecessary expenses in the future.

2. Cleaning Practices

Be sure to engage in regular kitchen cleaning practices to keep your space less fire hazardous. One common issue you should focus on is remembering to clean up kitchen grease from all surfaces. An accumulation of grease in your kitchen has the potential to cause a fire. So, make sure you schedule a daily grease cleanup with your employees.

3. Have Fire Extinguishers

Fire extinguishers come in handy in the event of a possible fire. Fire extinguishers can help to prevent a major downtime of your business, so it is essential for you to install one in your kitchen. It is also beneficial for you to ensure that your fire extinguishers are working properly. You can rely on a mobile fire extinguisher service to come to your business to inspect your system.

4. Kitchen Staff Training

Your kitchen staff should engage in essential training to prevent fire hazards. They should be well versed in how to deal with different types of fires and how to safely perform their daily kitchen duties.

Taking the extra time to train  your staff is an effective way for you to make your restaurant less prone to accidental fires.

5. Electrical Equipment Caution

Exercise caution with the electrical equipment you use each day in your restaurant. Be aware of the electrical appliances or cables that you use to operate your business. Make certain you inspect your electrical equipment regularly to make your restaurant less vulnerable to fires.

Protect Your Business With Annual Inspections!

Following this guide may help you to prevent accidents and for you to have peace of mind that your restaurant is safe. It is also beneficial for you to rely on a professional service to provide you with an annual fire extinguisher inspection and maintenance.

Do you need to replace your fire extinguisher from a service that covers the state of New Jersey or Philadelphia? Contact us to learn about our range of fire extinguisher services and affordable prices.