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It’s a new year, and services companies which they provide hood cleaning, seek to bring attention to safety in 2009.

Keeping property and employees safe in the commercial restaurant kitchen requires routine cleanings of kitchen hoods, duct and fan systems at a minimum.

The approximately 7,100 restaurant structure fires that occurred last year, those fires caused $116 million in property damage.

What is the role that fire protection equipment played in those statistics.

Less than one-third of the reported structure fires occurred in an area that was known to have a fire alarm, and less than half of fires occurred in an area with an automatic quenching system, such as automatic sprinklers the report stated.

About 64 percent of the restaurant structure fires were caused by cooking. Cooking materials such as grease and oil were the most frequent items first ignited.

These statistics drive home the point that a properly inspected, maintained and functioning fire protection system, along with routine hood cleaning, can go a long way to preventing costly damage, loss of property and potentially loss of life from restaurant fires.

Following are some guidelines restaurants can follow to help prevent disastrous fires.

Routine Cleaning

There is a list of standard guidelines and practices for contractors engaged in kitchen exhaust cleaning.

Restaurant kitchen ducts, hoods and fans should be cleaned by qualified professionals.

Proper cleaning of this equipment is comprehensive and requires the use of high-powered equipment and special chemicals. The frequency in which the cleanings should occur depends upon the type of food being cooked in the restaurants, the cooking methods and the type of equipment used. At a minimum, restaurant kitchen systems should be cleaned twice a year. Restaurants that use deep fat fryers and/or char broilers should clean these systems every three months at a minimum.

Eating establishments that use smokehouses or wood fires should undergo monthly cleanings at a minimum.

Restaurants that use large amounts of vegetable oils in their cooking processes should go no longer than three months between cleanings. When vegetable oil grease is left to build up, it becomes glue-like and removing it is a difficult task.

Preventative Maintenance

Scheduling regular maintenance service for electrical equipment is paramount to keeping systems in safe operating condition.

Train Staff in Fire Prevention Techniques

A staff that is properly trained in appropriate fire-prevention methods can go a long way to reducing the likelihood of fire occurring.

New or expanding restaurants don’t always have an unlimited amount of money at their disposal, so it makes sense that many owners and managers look for ways to save a buck when they can.

There are lots of opportunities to purchase used restaurant equipment. However, when it comes to purchasing used kitchen hoods and fire protection equipment, it’s best to involve a professional consultant.

Fire safety codes change and older equipment and parts don’t always meet the new codes. Also, older hoods often aren’t UL listed, while many new hoods are. Equipment that is UL listed has had its electrical components tested for potential hazards by the Underwriters Laboratory, an independent testing organization.

It is not required that all kitchen devices be UL listed, but some insurance policies have clauses in them that will limit their liability in case of a claim made in response to the failure of a non-UL-listed device.

Imagine the situations in which a hood installing firm is hired to install used kitchen hoods in restaurants and by the time the necessary upgrades and repairs have been made, the restaurant owner could have had a new hood for about the same price.

A good consultant can help determine the best option for the client and provide several options from which to choose. Choosing a consultant who also provides installation and maintenance services presents an additional benefit- the opportunity to package all the services for a better deal.

When the customer gets a complete package deal, there are no additional hidden costs or other surprises.

New or Used
Although there are occasions when buying used is as good as buying new, determining those occasions requires sitting down with a professional and doing some consulting on the front end.

Recommendations have to be made after gathering information on the type of restaurant, the type of food that will be served and the cooking processes used to prepare it. This information helps determine what size kitchen hood will be needed.

Consulting Advantages
Hiring a consultant also can result in long-term savings. If a restaurant is being constructed from the ground up and plumbing and electrical haven’t already been installed, consulting firms can assist in the planning process to ensure that everything is installed in a fashion that saves money now and makes future maintenance and cleaning a piece of cake.

Installing plumbing and electrical in a way that doesn’t impede ongoing maintenance, cleaning and repairs makes it easier to do an effective job and it saves the customer money because the job can be done more quickly.

People are looking for ways to save money and run the kitchen efficiently and all of this can be done in the design phase.

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