Each year restaurants suffer over 8,000 fires. About 41% of these fires originate in and around kitchens and cooking areas. Many of these kitchen fires could be prevented with proper restaurant fire suppression systems and training. If a fire were to erupt in your kitchen would your staff know the right steps to take? You may want to reconsider your emergency training procedures.
Fire Prevention is the Best Fire Protection
As the old saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Improper use of deep fryers and oven ranges are the leading causes of kitchen fires. The first step in preventing any fire is to train your staff to take the proper safety precautions. If your kitchen uses a wood burning stove or charcoal, proper disposal of the embers is important.The ovens should be cleaned at least once a day and the material should be kept in sealed metal containers and kept a minimum distance of ten feet away from the building or any flammable material.
Human Based Restaurant Fire Suppression
Studies show that even with no instruction participants were able to suppress 98% percent of fires with a fire extinguisher. With a little bit of practice the participants were able to suppress 100% of fires effectively. Fire extinguishers are responsible for stopping 80% of fires from spreading, but the first step is to make sure that your fire extinguisher servicing company is regularly providing service for fire extinguishers on site.
Automatic Restaurant Fire Suppression
Sprinklers have a high success rate and responsible for suppressing or containing 98% of fires each year. Unlike fire extinguishers sprinklers are automated which removes the human error aspect. But it is important to make sure that your sprinkler and alarm systems are being serviced regularly otherwise, come an emergency, they can malfunction. Your sprinkler system should be inspected at least four times a year by a certified professional.
Even a small fire can be devastating to your business. Each year restaurant fires caused an average of $246 million in damages. By properly informing and training your staff as well as getting regular fire equipment inspections you can minimize the likelihood that your kitchen will be the scene of a damaging fire.
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