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.