A Fire-Free Commercial Kitchen: Fire Safety Mistakes to Avoid

Your pork wine reduction may perhaps be your customers’ latest favorite dish, but the presence of too much fire can place your restaurant at risk. Unfortunately, that’s just how the industry works. Cooking requires fire and heat, making it the very heart and veins of your restaurant business. 

Restaurants experience fire losses more often, especially since kitchens are stacked with highly flammable materials. In other words, all commercial kitchens can quickly burn out of control, with menacing fires devouring the entire establishment within minutes. 

While kitchen fire suppression systems exist to minimize damages and injury, not all businesses properly maintain the process. Most operate under ineffective measures, which causes fire to spread further. And while your kitchen may be too busy to pay any mind to fire protection, it’s important to keep your staff focused on the possibilities of fire. 

To begin your efforts, here are some fire protection mistakes most people make. It’s best to avoid them from now on:

Mistake #1: Failing to properly train your staff

While you can give fire safety fliers and presentations to your staff, theoretical knowledge of safety rules and regulations can only do so much if your staff isn’t properly trained to follow these protocols. It’s one thing to know what to do, and quite another to actually act on it. Actually following the proper protocol regarding fire prevention and safety is more crucial than being able to recite the rules word for word. 

It’s best to allow some time and resources to train your staff on how to prevent and manage kitchen fires. You can monitor your staff and make sure that they can properly practice the fire safety protocol, as well as know how to operate fire safety equipment. 

Mistake #2: Failing to keep the entire kitchen clean 

Commercial kitchens are stacked with highly flammable materials, but those that should not catch fire also become damaged due to a failed upkeep. Most kitchen floors operate in hardened shortening, whether it be plastered in floors or the walls. This is particularly true for kitchens that specialize in frying, ones that even a fire suppression system cannot save.

Having hardened oils in your kitchen floor and walls will cause the flames to rapidly spread, as the grease will fuel the menacing fires. That said, make sure to clean regularly and thoroughly. By ensuring clean surfaces, you save your restaurant from being devoured by potential fires. 

Mistake #3: Expanding kitchen without proper fire safety measures 

As your restaurant flourishes, so will your kitchen. You’ll eventually need to expand your kitchen space, prompting you to buy bigger and better equipment. Unfortunately, your existing fire suppression system may not be equipped to handle such changes. 

Bigger and bulkier equipment needs new fire safety plans, and without catering to the needs accordingly, you leave your kitchen at risk. Before making any plans of purchase, make sure to adjust your fire suppression systems accordingly. 

More Common Restaurant Fire Safety Mistakes

Mistake #4: Cooking appliances sitting outside the suppression system’s coverage

Kitchen equipment is constantly moved for prep and cleaning. If an appliance is put back outside the range of your fire suppression system, the system cannot protect it when a flare-up happens. Check appliance positioning during your monthly visual check, and call for a review if the line has changed. See what causes suppression system failure and the signs it needs repair.

Mistake #5: Skipping regular upkeep and inspections

Poorly maintained appliances create hazards that even a suppression system may not be able to handle, and a malfunctioning suppression system defeats the purpose of having one. Schedule the semi-annual inspection and have problems repaired or the system replaced as soon as possible. See our inspection guide for kitchen fire suppression systems.

Mistake #6: Missing or poorly maintained exit signs and emergency lighting

Everyone needs to know where the exits are in a fire, and if the power goes out, emergency lighting guides people out. Exit signs should be bright and easy to read, and windowless or normally dark areas need enough emergency lights. Have them tested on schedule. See the benefits of emergency lighting for restaurants.

Mistake #7: Neglecting fire extinguishers

Extinguishers stop small fires before they get out of control, but only if they work. A poorly maintained unit may not. Each one needs its pin, seal, and pressure gauge checked, and to be fully charged. Expired inspection tags also send the wrong message to an inspector. A used or partly discharged unit must be recharged before you can trust it. See what happens if you skip your annual extinguisher inspection and when to recharge or replace one.

Mistake #8: Blocked or locked exit doors

A locked or blocked exit can turn a simple fire into a disaster. Exit doors must never be locked from the outside during business hours, and exit paths must stay clear of boxes and other objects.

Where Restaurant Kitchen Fires Come From

• Overheating: Food left on a range or in an oven can turn into a combustible charred mass quickly if staff are distracted.
• Hot oil: Oil can ignite in as little as about 30 seconds under heat. Overfilled pans and spillover are common causes, and hot oil also causes scalding burns.
• Distraction and tight spaces: Busy, crowded kitchens make it easy to lose track of a pan. Staff need to know how to intervene when an incipient fire starts.
• Grease and trash: Hardened grease on floors and walls helps flames spread. Keep paper, cardboard, and linens away from heat and cooking sources, and remove trash promptly.

Ensure That a Good Fire Safety Plan is in Place

A flourishing restaurant business is a call for celebration, but make sure to keep your establishment and staff safe by having a good fire safety plan in place. Knowing these mistakes to avoid is just a single part of the important equation—the next step is to develop an evacuation plan, followed by investment in fire fighting tools, and so on. Disaster can strike any time—make sure that you’re well-equipped to save lives. 

If you’re on the hunt for fire suppression installation and fire safety other services, Atlantic Fire Protection is the place to go. We are a licensed company in New Jersey, dedicated to helping our clients maintain, repair, and inspect fire safety necessities. Reach out to us today to learn more.