Kitchen Fire Suppression Systems

Properly maintained kitchen fire suppression systems makes a world of difference when protecting your restaurant against fire. Cooking appliances use an open flame as the primary heating source, so it is vital to have the right program and tools in place. This protects your restaurant facility and its people in the worst-case scenario.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), O.S.H.A., your insurance provider, and your local building inspectors require you to perform monthly and annual inspections in accordance with the codes and standards of NFPA – 101 for your kitchen fire suppression systems.

At National Fire Safety, we proudly service every different type of kitchen fire suppression system. This includes but is not limited to: Amerex, Ansul, Buckeye, Greeheck, Kidde, Pro-tex, Pyrochem, Range Guard, and more.

The NFPA 17a and 96, set out responsibilities and requirements for cleaning, maintenance, inspection, and testing of your kitchen suppression system. These codes require using a certified fire protection professional approved by your local authority. They conduct all semi-annual inspections and tests of your fire suppression system.

As a full-service fire protection company, National Fire Safety installs, maintains, inspects, and tests all of your kitchen fire suppression systems. Our dedicated factory certified fire protection technicians will:

• Replace your dry chemical fire suppression system with a wet chemical system that meets the UL300 Standard
• Verify whether or not your wet chemical system is compliant with UL300
• Inspect your ansul system every six months, in accordance with NFPA 17a and 96
• File all applicable paperwork with local authorities
• Provide your insurance carrier with lower risk assessments, lowering your premiums

Every inspection, repair, or test we perform is conducted exactly as the applicable codes dictate under NFPA 17a & 96, as well as your insurance requirements. Protecting your life safety and that of your employees and customers is our utmost concern.

Several NFPA guidelines, including 17, 17a, and 96, address the maintenance of commercial cooking equipment and restaurant fire suppression systems.  Semi-annually, you are required to have a qualified fire protection technician inspect and test the entire kitchen suppression system. This includes, but is not limited to:

The fire protection technician must document the results and any recommendations. Also, attach a new tag with his or her name and the date on the fire suppression system.

Fire test standard UL 300 has been a major factor in significant changes in how commercial cooking operations are protected from fire. This report looks at the background of UL 300 and changes in related NFPA National Fire Code documents. The dilemma of what to do about existing fire protection systems is also discussed.

In 1998, a revolution in the fire protection of commercial cooking operations occurred. Several key fire protection standards were revised. While protection requirements for new installations seemed clear, fire protection professionals found themselves in a quandary over existing installations.

The changes raised doubts about the ability of existing fire protection systems to provide adequate protection. Questions arose as to which systems needed to be upgraded, the length of transition time that should be allowed, and the difference in loss exposure between existing protection and new criteria.

A driving force behind this fire protection revolution is one fire test standard developed by Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (UL). First issued in 1992, UL 300, the Standard for Safety for Fire Testing of Fire Extinguishing Systems for Protection of Restaurant Cooking Areas, affects how kitchen fire protection systems are tested. The revised standard is intended to provide test conditions which more closely resemble the hazards faced in “real world” fire situations.

To date, no dry chemical system has been listed under UL 300. However, existing dry chemical systems (separate from the system protecting the cooking appliance), may still be used for plenum and duct protection. UL 300 requires that multiple appliances be covered individually, unless a specific listing is in the manufacturer’s design, installation, and maintenance manual. Additionally, the manufacturer must specifically test this arrangement under the UL 300 test standard.

Another aspect that should not be overlooked are the changes with portable fire extinguishers:

• Designation of portable extinguisher use as secondary backup fire protection to the automatic fire protection system
• Use of the Class K portable

Use of portable extinguishers as backup to the automatic fire protection system may require a major education effort at some locations. In most cases, the portable fire extinguisher is considered the “first line of defense” against fire. Prior to the UL 300 “revolution,” this was true for cooking operations. Now, the first line of defense against fire in cooking operations is to activate the fire-extinguishing system.

Your insurance policy is the number one driving factor in making the Life Safety decisions of your business. There is no cut rate insurance plan for life safety. You either meet the codes or you don’t. Your business protection and payment on claims depends on it. Additionally, it is up to the business owners to ensure all life safety inspections are completed and ensured compliant by qualified service providers. Insurance companies are not in business to pay claims, but rather focus on keeping businesses safe with claim avoidance. That’s where we come in.