Learn how to keep kitchen combustibles under control and ensure fire safety at all times. Article by Chun Valencia

The concern for fire safety knows no boundary — it spans across different industries worldwide and affects people regardless of race, creed or social status. Throughout history, fires have created havoc in homes, schools, restaurants, churches, hotels, hospitals, theaters, discos and even sea vessels. Everyone is indeed a potential fire victim.

Always remember that heat, fuel and oxygen are the elements necessary to create fire, or in technical terms, to sustain combustion. If any of these is not present, there can be no chemical reaction to produce flame. If we want to extinguish or control fire, then we must remove one of these elements.

Kitchen fires pose unique problems because of the peculiar chemical nature of fats and oils used in the cooking process. Today’s commercial kitchens can turn into an environment for fire risk due to the prevalence of hot cooking oils, fats, grease and other flammable substances, as well as high-energy input/output cooking appliances. The trend towards healthier foods has led to the use of fat-free vegetable oil instead of animal fat such as lard. Since vegetable oils burn hotter than animal fat, vegetable oil fires are also hotter and more difficult to extinguish. Moreover, modern cooking appliances are now highly insulated and slow-cooling. Thus, in order to protect the kitchen from fire accidents, there should be a fire suppression system that is properly designed to put out these hotter fires.

Automatic Sprinkler Systems
Because of the nature of fire hazards in the commercial kitchen, a special type of fire suppression system is required. These fire suppression systems are designed to effectively protect the kitchen from unwanted fire accidents. They can protect griddles, range tops, fryers, boilers and woks, as well as hood and duct systems. Other systems offer rapid flame knockdown — in approximately 1 minute, they typically reduce the temperature of the cooking oil or grease below its ignition temperature. That is about 15 times faster than conventional wet chemical systems where the fuel may remain hot enough to reignite for as long as 15 minutes after discharge. Some systems are even enclosed in stainless steel to blend right into the surroundings of today’s modern kitchen, enhancing both functionality and aesthetics.

Fire Extinguishers
According to Koetter Fire, a distributor of fire suppression equipment, studies have found that 90% of fires can be controlled with the use of the proper fire extinguisher. Since different types of fire require different types of fire extinguishers, foodservice workers (especially those assigned in production areas) must be adequately trained to identify and use the right extinguisher for the fire in its early stages.

Fire Safety Practices
In addition to the installation of fire suppression systems, it is essential in any foodservice operation for its workers to recognize fire hazards in their workplace. The following are some safety practices that can be adopted in the kitchen:

1. Keep the kitchen area clean and well-organized. Watch out for the accumulation of grease on stoves/hoods, missing knobs on burners, and missing filters on hood systems. Understand how and when to clean the kitchen hood, ducts, grills, vents, filters and fans.
2. Never leave cooking food unattended. Many fires have been investigated to have started when the person cooking steps out “for a while.â€