Is Your Commercial Kitchen Compliant With Atlanta’s Fire Safety Codes?

In all commercial kitchens, fire safety is a major priority, and fire safety codes help mitigate risk. Because commercial kitchens in restaurants are busy, chaotic environments, fire hazards present a serious danger to people and property. Learn about fire prevention and kitchen suppression systems by Cliff’s Fire for commercial and industrial kitchens in Atlanta, GA.

Fire Prevention for Commercial Kitchens 

All fires have a classification type that helps you know which type of fire extinguisher you need. Class K fires are the most common type of commercial kitchen fire. These fires are especially hazardous because flammable substances such as animal and vegetable fats, oil, and grease are abundant in commercial kitchens. These flammable liquids ignite quickly, creating dangerous, quickly-spreading fires.

For class K fires, you need a class K fire extinguisher for your commercial kitchen. A fire suppression system above a grill area can automatically turn on to douse flames. This system must go through routine testing, including cylinder hydrotesting and recharging, gas valve re-setting, checking piping and nozzle placements, repairing control heads as needed, and re-arming and repairing a system after a discharge.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) outlines fire safety codes for commercial kitchens, which the state of Georgia follows. State-level fire safety requirements and building codes also help ensure safety remains a top priority for all private and public cooking operations.

Staying Compliant with Commercial Kitchen Fire Suppression in Atlanta

Commercial kitchens have very specific safety requirements and fire codes for fire suppression systems. NFPA 96 refers to the standards for fire protection ventilation control in commercial kitchen settings. These regulations extend to cooking equipment, like the requirement of storing cooking equipment beneath the hood and duct system. 

Other fire suppression standards include: 

• Grease removal systems
• Consistent and frequent hood cleaning
• Rooftop grease management and collection
• Exhaust fans to ventilate and remove flammable particles from the air

Within the hood, installing an approved fire extinguisher and exhaust duct system is the standard for continuously removing greasy, flammable vapor. 

Common Fire Safety Compliance Issues in Atlanta, GA, Commercial Kitchens

Cleanliness is one of the most important compliance factors in commercial kitchens, as a lack of cleanliness often leads to fire. 

Noncompliance can lead to many problems, including injury and death, so all staff that enter the vicinity of the commercial kitchen should receive proper training on fire risk and fire extinguisher use. Fire safety training should occur regularly, with updates and reviews happening at least yearly.

Cooking fires are especially dangerous because they need more than water to extinguish. Having the right fire extinguishers is extremely important in an Atlanta commercial kitchen because Class K fires occur quickly and spread wildly.

Contact Cliff’s Fire Extinguisher Company for Commercial Kitchen Fire Extinguishers

For all commercial kitchens, compliance with fire safety codes is necessary to protect property, patrons, and employees.

For more information on fire safety requirements and fire protection systems, Cliff’s Fire Extinguisher Company is here to help. Serving Atlanta, GA, and the surrounding areas, they can help with everything from maintaining compliance to installing sprinkler systems.