Why Restaurants Fire Protection Need To Upgrade

Why Restaurants Fire Protection Need To Upgrade 

On Oct 16, 2021 a fire broke out at a popular restaurant in the southern part of Kolkata during the busy hours on Saturday afternoon, police said. No casualty was reported. Three fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the blaze, which probably started from the kitchen of the Mughlai restaurant at, a police officer said.

Restaurant or kitchen fires have always been some of the most dangerous because a fire can begin on a cooking appliance, or in a hood, or ductwork and quickly spread to involve the entire building. Statistics show that many restaurants never re-open after a fire. A kitchen fire suppression system is a fire safety system that prevents fires from travelling from your kitchen area to other areas in the building.

In 1994, Underwriters Laboratories released "Fire Testing of Fire Extinguishing Systems for Protection of Restaurant Cooking Areas," also known as UL 300. The standard outlines specific guidelines that fire protection equipment manufacturers must meet for systems to receive a UL 300 label.

Each manufacturer must submit their system to Underwriters Laboratories for testing, which includes real-world fire testing on commercial cooking equipment used in today’s restaurants. Fire suppression systems that meet the UL 300 standard are significantly more effective at controlling kitchen fires than systems designed to meet previous standards.

Most states have adopted NFPA 17A and NFPA 96 as a part of their fire code, requiring all commercial kitchen fire suppression systems to be UL 300 compliant. Additionally, most insurance companies require compliance with this standard as a prerequisite to coverage.

General Requirements

Egress

For restaurants with an occupant load of 50 or more, which would classify them as an assembly occupancy, the main entrance must be sized to be able to accommodate at least one half of the total occupant load. Other exits must be provided to handle the additional capacity with the total number being based on layout and maintaining acceptable travel distances.

Sprinkler Protection

Sprinklers have not traditionally been required for all restaurants. Beginning with the 2021 edition of NFPA 101 Life Safety Code, restaurants that are assembly occupancies of new construction will require sprinkler protection. Like fire alarms, a lot of variables can play into the need for sprinkler protection, including construction type, height, other uses of the building, and more. Where considering a standalone building used only as a restaurant its classification as an assembly occupancy does not require sprinkler protection for any existing construction unless it can also be considered a nightclub, dance hall, or discotheque in which case they are required for occupant loads over 100.

Fire Alarm

Whether or not a fire alarm system is required can come down to many variables but if it is a standalone building it is only required to be provided with a fire alarm system where the occupant load is greater than 300. Where required, the system will need to be initiated by one of or a combination of manual operation (pull stations), automatic detection, or sprinkler system waterflow.  Notification of the occupants is required to be a voice announcement and include visible signals.

Wet-chemical extinguishing system

As referenced earlier, the majority of fires in restaurants are caused by cooking equipment. For this reason, any cooking equipment used in processes that produce grease-laden vapors must be provided with ventilation and a fire extinguishing system. The fire extinguishing systems must be listed to UL 300 or equivalent standards which is currently only achieved by wet chemical extinguishing systems. The wet chemical is able to separate the oil and air for a sufficient amount of time to allow complete cooling. These systems are most commonly activated automatically through the use of fusible links that are in the exhaust airflow and have a manual release that can also be used by staff in the area. The manual release should be located in the path of egress from the space to allow for safe use.

Some common issues with the fixed extinguishing systems include the caps on discharge nozzles being taken off for day-to-day use. These caps prevent grease from getting into and clogging the nozzles and are designed to blow off when the system activates. The rearrangement or replacement of cooking equipment can also be problematic as the systems are specifically designed for the original equipment, changing these out without analyzing the system could result in a failure to extinguish a fire.

Class-K Fire Extinguisher

While the fixed extinguishing system is intended to be the primary means of extinguishment, at least one portable fire extinguisher is also required to be provided in the kitchen area. Extinguishers in kitchens need to be Class K to be appropriate for use on the cooking medium. Signage is required at the extinguisher in the form of a placard that is conspicuously placed near each Class K extinguisher that states that the fire protection system must be activated prior to using the fire extinguisher.

Requirements for a UL 300

Fire suppression systems that are UL 300-compliant must use a wet chemical agent. Wet chemicals suppress flammable vapors but also cool the source so it can’t reignite. Remember that although a system may be labeled as a “wet chemical,” that doesn’t necessarily mean it is UL 300-compliant.

In addition to using a wet chemical agent, UL 300 systems must also include:

·        A manual pull station

·        An automatic fire detection system

·        Automatic fuel shut-offs for gas and electric

·        Nozzles located in the hood and duct

·        Nozzles located over each grease-generating cooking appliance

·        Wet chemical system serviced semi-annually by an authorized licensed service company

·        Hood and duct maintenance and cleaning semi-annually by an authorized licensed service company

Inspection and Maintenance

Routine inspection and maintenance of cooking equipment, the hood and exhaust systems, and fire extinguishing equipment (including fire extinguishers) are vital to ensuring that protection is maintained consistently for the restaurant. In addition, instructions need to be provided to new employees on hiring and to all employees annually on the use of portable fire extinguishers and the manual actuation of the fire-extinguishing system. Hoods need to be inspected for grease build-up at a frequency that is typically semi-annually for most restaurants but can be more or less frequent, depending on the type and volume of cooking. When that inspection finds grease build-up the hood and exhaust system must be cleaned.

NFPA 96 Standard for Ventilation Control and Fire Protection of Commercial Cooking Operations, 2021

The fire extinguishing systems must be maintained at least every 6 months and all actuation and control components, including remote manual pull stations, mechanical and electrical devices, detectors, and actuators, must be tested for proper operation. Fusible links of the metal alloy type and automatic sprinklers of the metal alloy type must also be replaced at this interval.

Installing a UL 300-compliant fire suppression system is more than a requirement for your restaurant. It’s a critical step in protecting your employees, customers, and livelihood. Restaurant owners should partner with a qualified fire and security company to design and install a reliable and code-compliant fire suppression system that best meets their needs. For any code compliance questions, our fire and life safety specialists are available 24/7/365.