Fire Department
Safety & Prevention -

Commercial Kitchen Cooking

Additional Information
Stay safe in restaurant kitchens
Safe Cooking:

• Never leave cooking food unattended.
• Wear close-fitting or tightly-rolled sleeves when cooking. Loose clothing can catch fire from hot burners.
• Always keep a potholder, oven mitt and lid handy. If a small grease fire starts in a pan, put on an oven mitt and smother the flames by carefully sliding the lid over the pan. Turn off the burner. Do not remove pan or lid until it is completely cool.
• Never pour water on a grease fire and only use a personal fire extinguisher as a last result to put out a fire.
• Keep kitchen area clean and well organized. Prevent grease build-up on kitchen floors.
• Vegetable oil has a lower flash point (536 Fº/ 280 Cº) than animal fat (670 Fº/ 370 Cº).
• A minimum 2.5 gallons K rated portable fire extinguisher is needed within 30 feet of cooking appliances.
• Make sure all employees receive on-going fire safety training. Provide multilingual training and signage where needed
• Use caution when lighting gas burners

Inspection:

• An inspection and servicing of the fire extinguishing system and listed exhaust hoods containing a constant or fire-actuated water system shall be made at least every 6 months by properly trained and qualified persons.
• Fusible links (including fusible links on fire actuated damper assemblies) and automatic sprinkler heads shall be replaced at least annually, or more frequently, to ensure proper operation of the system. Other detection devices shall be serviced or replaced in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations. (Exception: frangible bulb type heads are not required to be replaced annually.)

Cleaning:

• Filters need to be cleaned once a week.
• The cleaning section of the fire code and NFPA 96 states: Hoods, grease removal devices, fan, ducts, and other appurtenances shall be cleaned to bare metal at frequent intervals prior to surfaces becoming heavily contaminated with grease or oily sludge. After the exhaust system is cleaned to bare metal, it shall not be coated with powder or other substance. The system shall be inspected at least every six months.
• When a vent cleaning service is done, a certificate showing date of inspection or cleaning shall be maintained on the premises.