Restaurant fire safety is a vital concept for any establishment, as doing so can stop thousands of dollars of damage and serious injuries.
Unfortunately, most commercial building fires are actually coming from a restaurant, due to the many highly combustible things one finds in a working kitchen. Knowing how to prevent restaurant fires and what to do in the event that a fire ignites and cannot be stopped can mean the difference between minimal damage and lost revenues or, worst case scenario, lost lives.
Getting your restaurant ready for fire prevention – and response – can be tricky, so if you’re looking for some pointers to help ensure your restaurant is safe, read through this complete guide to restaurant fire safety.
Fire Safety Training
When it comes to restaurant fire safety, one of the most important things you can do is to make certain that your place of business has complete fire safety training. Ensure that employees are aware of fire safety, including actions they can take to prevent a fire and common fire hazards.
It is also vital that employees are well-educated on the response to fire in order to preserve safety in the event of a fire.
By including the following things in to the training of your establishment, you will have a comprehensive fire safety course:
- Fire Safety Equipment – All employees are to be familiar with the use and operation of fire safety equipment and control fire equipment as well as any emergency supplies like fire extinguishers.
- Power Source – Kitchen employees need to know where each power source is and be able to shut it off so the fire does not continue being fed.
- Crisis Response ‐ educate employees about how to calmly respond to emergencies like fires so that people are not panicked or fearful.
- Class of Fires – Teach your staff about the classes of fires that may develop in the kitchen and how to treat them.
- Chemical Safety Training – Train employees on how to work safely with hazardous chemicals and other flammable materials.
- Refreshers – Fire safety training is best kept at the top of the mind with regular refresher courses for staff.
Fire Safety Checklist
If you’re a restaurant owner, you need to ensure your restaurant is prepared in the event of a fire. When your safety bases are well-covered, you can not only effectively act in response to fires, you might also be able to prevent them. When getting your restaurant ready to prevent a fire, below is a list of 6 essential tips you should cover:
- All emergency exits should have clearly marked exit signs and employees should know where the emergency exits are at all times.
- A fire escape route should be plotted, distributed on poster and taught to employees.
- All exits need to be clear and not obstructed with debris so everyone can get out fast.
- Appliances, tools, and electrical equipment should be checked regularly for defects and serviced if necessary.
- All combustible materials including liquids and chemicals should be stored as per its design intended to avoid catch fire.
- Install fire extinguishers in the premises, both indoors and in outdoor locations where fires are most likely to break out.
Restaurant Fire Codes
For those who do not know, a restaurant fire code states that all restaurants must have some sort of fire protection in place.
Laws and regulations can vary depending on where you are located and the size of your restaurant and that means that there will be different levels of legal requirement for fire protection for some restaurants over others.
Always take the time to review your local and state laws to ensure that your restaurant’s fire prevention systems are up to code.
Fire Alarm Systems
Fire alarm systems are a key protection against damage from fire, alerting building occupants to fire danger.
The fire alarm system must be provided with visible signals or a voice message, signaling all occupants in the building that a fire is occurring. In order to set off a fire alarm system, it must be tripped manually by a lever or tripped automatically by sensing smoke and heat.
Fire Sprinkler Systems
Types Fire sprinkler systems are an effective example of a fire prevention and protection method based on discharge of water. However, there are four types of fire sprinkler systems, and wet pipe system fire sprinklers are what you are more likely to find in a kitchen.
Water isn’t necessarily the most effective in fighting fires involving grease or chemicals, which are often found in kitchens, so it might be a good idea to have some other method of fire suppression in place in addition to your sprinkler system.
Fire Suppression Systems
While fire sprinkler systems employ the use of water in fire concealment or extinguishment, fire suppression systems do not and may use a variety of alternate substances.
A fire suppression system is designed to detect fire by means of heat and smoke, and to release chemical agents to extinguish the fire either automatically or manually. The majority of restaurant fire suppression systems utilize wet chemicals to extinguish typical kitchen fires such as grease and class K fires.
Exhaust Hoods for Restaurant Kitchens
Another relevant item with regards to kitchen fire safety (which enhances the safety of individuals using a kitchen) is the kitchen hood exhaust systems, which support the kitchen ventilation process and eliminate the unsafe components that might exist in the air.
Installing a kitchen hood can help control the accumulation of grease and smoke, in an effort to reduce fires. It’s important to clean and to check your kitchen hood exhaust systems regularly as there is a fire danger you may experience if you have a greasy exhaust hood.
For additional information and tips on how to use a kitchen hood as effectively and efficiently as possible (and make your kitchen a healthier place to be in), see our guide to kitchen hood code requirements.
Kitchen Fire Extinguishers
Because once a fire gets out of control, fire extinguishers are one of the restaurant’s best tools to stopping it. Once activated, a fire extinguisher is designed to deploy an agent that suppresses fires.
Normally, fire extinguishers are rarely utilized, because fire prevention and other fire safety devices are generally sufficient to do the job. In the case of a large fire, it is extremely helpful if all of your employees know at least how to use a fire extinguisher to put out a fire.
Class K Fires
Since class K fires are most often found in the commercial kitchen, it is imperative that your staff be well-informed on the subject. Your kitchen should also have dedicated equipment designed to deal with class K fires.
What is a Class K Fire?
A K class fire is a fire that is induced and fed by flammable cooking oils, including vegetable oils. It’s dangerous, however, to cook with flammable liquids, because class K fires spread quickly and can cause a lot of damage.
Vegetable oils burn at higher temperatures for longer periods than animal fat, producing hotter fires that can be hard to put out. Staff members should remain vigilant while cooking with flammable liquids, and class K fire suppression equipment should be at hand.
Class K Fire Extinguisher
A Class K fire extinguisher is designed to be used on cooking fires. These fire extinguishers contain wet chemical agents that are formulated to cut off fire from the fuel it feeds on.
Only class K fire extinguishers can fight class K fires, because dry chemicals are insufficient to dish out the volatility of this fire.
You should NEVER use anything other than class K fire extinguisher to attempt to put out class K fires as splashing these types of substances over the fire will cause the fire to spread more rapidly.
Restaurant Fire Evacuation Plan
Even if you can take all the precautions and have a fire extinguisher ready in your restaurant, unexpected situations with an out of power fire can also happen.
Your restaurant should have an evacuation plan so all employees and customers can exit the building safely if a fire roars out of control. There are some measures you need to implement to keep everyone inside your restaurant safe:
- Develop an Actionable Plan – Write and have an actionable emergency plan and ensure all employees are trained to know it.
- Appoint an Evacuation Coordinator – For each shift, have a designated employee to call the fire department, supervise staff to ensure safe evacuation, and check the building to ensure everyone is out.
- Follow Fire Routes – Employees must know the restaurant’s emergency fire routes and must be the leaders of directing diners out safely.
As with all fire safety procedures, there are many things about restaurant fire safety that you should be aware of to reduce the chances of a kitchen fire occurring.
Building fire safety in your restaurant is a lot of effort but very rewarding. When you take the steps to ensure fire safety, you create a safer space that preserves your property and the people in your building from destruction.