Operational health and safety have made millions of workplaces across the country much better to work in for average Americans, and perhaps nowhere is that more clear than in the restaurant business. If you are starting up your own restaurant, then there are some things you need to know about fire safety, as this is a major hazard in the industry. Unlike your home, a fire alarm alone is not going to cut it when it comes to stopping fires that can spring out of control in an instant. Here are a few ways in which a restaurant kitchen fire system is different, and why it is so important.
Grease Fires Are No Joke
In a house, many of the dangers for fire come from power sockets, and typically the flammable material around these electrical sockets will take a little longer to catch on and spread. These fire risks can also be put out by water or regular fire extinguishers. In a restaurant kitchen, grease fires are common and sometimes they can balloon out of proportion in a few seconds. They cannot be put out by water or regular fire extinguishers, and they need special equipment to deal with them in a way that will not implode the whole kitchen and the gas powering it.
Build Up Of Flammable Material On Exhaust And Walls
While the deep cleaning of a restaurant kitchen happens almost every day, within the course of a single prep-time you can see enough build-up of grease and oil on exhaust hoods and other, surrounding areas of your kitchen that can be ignited with a single spark. These places are hard to reach, and the fire on them will be even harder to put out, so many restaurant kitchen fire systems involve mist suppression systems. These cover the whole kitchen in either water or a chemical that can dull extremely hot fires, and they are a must-have.
Extremely Close Quarters
Fire suppression systems in a commercial kitchen are there to protect some of the most crowded workplaces. It would be much easier to contain a threat of fire if there were not so many people working alongside one another with strong flames and extremely flammable ingredients, but that is the assignment that fire systems take on. They might seem like overkill when you are buying them, but even if they are only used once they could save people's lives, which makes them so very worth it.
For more information, contact a company that provides restaurant kitchen fire systems.