Fire Protection Serving Cape May County, NJ
Cape May County, New Jersey: the Wildwoods to Cape May.
Atlantic Fire Protection inspects and services fire extinguishers, Ansul kitchen suppression systems, and emergency and exit lights for shore businesses in the Wildwoods, Cape May, and the rest of Cape May County. We work out of our Toms River office at 1745 US 9, Unit 9, and our technicians come to you.
- Boardwalk food stands and restaurants in the Wildwoods
- Washington Street Mall shops and restaurants in Cape May
- Seasonal openings and pre-season checks
- Annual tags, suppression and lighting tests
Business in Cape May County follows the summer: many restaurants, stands, and shops close or slow down for the winter and reopen in the spring. Atlantic Fire Protection serves the county from the Toms River office and holds NJ Division of Fire Safety permit P01507. We have been in business since 2016. For Cape May County, call the New Jersey number, (732) 443-0608.
Getting ready before Memorial Day
The best time to inspect a seasonal kitchen is in the spring, before the Memorial Day weekend crowds arrive. A suppression system that sat through a winter in a closed, salt-air building can have corroded parts, and extinguishers may have been moved, emptied, or knocked off their hooks. Emergency light batteries also run down when the power has been off for months. Booking the visit for April or early May leaves time to fix anything that fails before opening day, rather than in the middle of the first busy week.
Wildwood boardwalk stands and Cape May’s Washington Street Mall
The boardwalk in the Wildwoods is lined with pizza counters, funnel cake and fry stands, and small restaurants, many of them with a fryer or griddle in a very small footprint. The City of Wildwood’s own annual inspection requirements list boardwalk businesses among the properties it inspects. Even a small stand with a fryer under a hood needs a suppression system on its twice-yearly schedule and a Class K extinguisher in reach.
In Cape May, the Washington Street Mall is a pedestrian street of shops, cafes, and restaurants in the historic downtown. Older buildings, upstairs dining rooms, and narrow back halls make exit signs and emergency lights especially important on busy summer nights. We also work in North Wildwood, Wildwood Crest, West Cape May, Lower Township, Middle Township, Stone Harbor, Avalon, Sea Isle City, and Ocean City. Our Atlantic City page covers the shore to the north.
What a visit covers
- Fire extinguisher inspection and tagging, with service and replacement when a unit fails.
- Ansul kitchen suppression inspection and service over commercial cooking lines.
- Emergency light and exit sign testing, with battery and fixture replacement.
Extinguishers that fail inspection can be recharged or refilled when that is all they need; otherwise we replace them.
Opening a new commercial kitchen? We also install and replace kitchen hood suppression systems for new commercial kitchens.
Codes the fire official will have in mind
Extinguishers are measured against NFPA 10, which asks for a monthly look by the owner and a yearly service by a qualified technician. Kitchen wet chemical systems fall under NFPA 17A and get inspected twice a year. Emergency lighting is tested under NFPA 101, section 7.9.3: 30 seconds each month and 90 minutes each year, logged in writing. Our guides to fire extinguisher inspection in NJ and emergency and exit light testing in NJ walk through each one.
Who inspects in the Wildwoods and Cape May
Each shore town runs its own fire prevention office. The City of Wildwood’s code names the Bureau of Fire Prevention in its fire department as the local enforcing agency, and the city publishes annual fire inspection requirements for registered businesses. North Wildwood’s Bureau of Fire Prevention and the Wildwood Crest Fire Prevention and Inspection Bureau enforce the Uniform Fire Code in their towns. The City of Cape May’s Fire Prevention Bureau urges businesses to contact it before they start operating so an inspection can be scheduled. The Cape May County Fire Marshal’s Office handles fire investigations, not routine business inspections. See fire extinguisher inspection in NJ for what the yearly visit involves.
What to have ready
- The address and a rough count of your extinguishers, emergency lights, and exit signs.
- Your latest service tags or reports, if you have them.
- Any notice or write-up from your fire official.
- For a kitchen: the name on the suppression cabinet, if you know it, and the cooking equipment under the hood.
- For a multi-tenant or multi-floor building: which suites and floors are included in the visit.
- Someone on site who can open the kitchen, storage areas, and mechanical rooms.
Requesting a visit
Send the request form with your address, or phone Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm; the office is closed weekends. We schedule the trip, inspect, tag what passes, and recommend next steps, and you decide what to approve. If your town’s fire prevention bureau has asked for reports before opening, tell us the date and we will plan around it. Mobile food businesses should read food truck fire protection. Pennsylvania calls use (484) 214-1800. Return to Service Areas.
Frequently asked questions
Do you serve the Wildwoods, Cape May, and the rest of Cape May County?
Yes. We serve all of New Jersey, which includes every Cape May County town. Call to confirm your address.
When should a seasonal restaurant book its inspection?
In the spring, before the Memorial Day weekend. That leaves time to replace a failed extinguisher, battery, or suppression part before you open for the summer.
How often does my suppression system need service?
NFPA 17A calls for wet chemical systems to be inspected and serviced twice a year. Your town’s fire prevention bureau can tell you about any additional requirements.
What if the fire prevention bureau sent me a violation notice?
Send us the notice with your request. We will plan the visit around the items listed.