Fire and Safety
Grease fires are the number one cause of restaurant fires, and the best way to prevent a fire in your exhaust system is to have it cleaned at regular intervals. If grease is allowed to build up, it can ignite and rapidly escalate out of control, causing thousands of dollars in damage and possible loss of life.
The National Fire Protection Administration is the governing body which provides the minimum standards for which all restaurants and commercial kitchen must comply.
Here are just a few of the NFPA Standards:
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- 11.6.1 – If, upon inspection, the exhaust system is found to be contaminated with deposits from grease-laden vapors, the contaminated portions of the exhaust system shall be cleaned by a properly trained, qualified, and certified person acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction.
- 11.6.4 – Components of the fire suppression system shall not be rendered inoperable during the cleaning process.
- 11.6.6 – Flammable solvents or other flammable cleaning aids shall not be used.
- 11.6.7 – Cleaning Chemical shall not be applied on usable links or other detection devices of the automatic extinguishing system.
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- 11.6.12 – When cleaning procedures are completed, all electrical switches and system components shall be returned to an operable state.
- 11.6.13 – When an exhaust cleaning service is used, a certificate showing the name of the servicing company, the name of the person performing the work, and the date of the inspection or cleaning shall be maintained on the premises.
- 11.6.14 – After cleaning or inspection is completed, the exhaust cleaning company and the person performing the work at the location shall provide the owner of the system with a written report that also specifies areas that were inaccessible or not cleaned.
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