LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – October 9-15 is National Fire Prevention Week, which makes it an ideal time to promote the importance of restaurants and commercial kitchens to maintain a practice of routine hood, duct and fan cleaning, according to a national fire protection and Los Angeles hood cleaning company.

“In every commercial kitchen, the threat of fire is impending due to the high level of cooking, resulting in grease that is more combustible in kitchen exhaust hood and duct systems,” said Massoud Farazandeh, CEO of American Professional Services (APS-Hoods), which specializes in hood sales,  installations and fire system installation for restaurants and commercial kitchens.
For kitchens to decrease their risk, they must remove built-up grease and other cooking by-products from their vent hood, which can be a potential fuel source for fires, Farazandeh said. Establishing an action plan in your kitchen is affordable and effective when it comes to fire prevention.

Preventing a fire is not impossible-it just takes a little common sense and preparation.  Keep your kitchen clutter-free and in order. This is the easiest thing you can do in an effort to prevent fires. Commercial kitchens are already the hub for fires – items such as pallets or trash on the floor can increase your risk of fire substantially.

Include emptying your grease traps a few times a day to your routine and ensure employees clean the walls around grills when they start to accumulate large amount of grease – grease on walls. Hire a professional to clean your hood, duct and fan systems periodically, as grease in these areas makes them vulnerable to igniting near flames or extremely high temperatures.

Always keep exits clear.  The safest and quickest way out of your kitchen if a fire occurs is through the exit doors. Storage racks and other kitchen fixtures should be moved to a new location if they are blocking these doors.

Invest in a kitchen fire suppression system and company. Kitchen fires are most often started by grease. Adding water to a grease fire is not an effective means of extinguishing flames. There is a large variety of kitchen fire suppression systems available that use a specially designed chemical process to extinguish fires at their core and repress them from spreading.

Hiring an experienced fire suppression system company to installing a suppression system is important. They can provide additional information about the frequency of cleaning that should be maintained to keep fire hazards at bay.

Intentional open flames require extra care. Cooking techniques that require an open flame or candles on your tables increases your risk of flames catching onto clothing, tablecloths or napkins. Ensure your staff has adequate training and the equipment necessary to put out a fire before it spreads.

Fire safety plans are the keys to success. Fire safety plans in restaurants and commercial kitchens may require professional consulting for implementation. A continual influx in patrons can make a fire plan more difficult to execute as people may not be familiar with your routine. Proper and continual training of your staff in their roles during a fire will put you at ease knowing that your restaurant, and patrons, will be safe.

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