Commercial Kitchen Fire Safety Tips

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Nick_Mathers]Nick Mathers
It's no secret that as restaurant kitchens get more and more efficient, they also get more dangerous. High speed stoves, grills and ovens cook food faster, and vegetable based fryer oils speed up faster and cool off more slowly than fat based oils that used to be used. These innovations are great for restaurant patrons and owners, because they get people in and out quickly. Unfortunately, they have also caused some of the most severe, damaging kitchen fires in history, sometimes taking out entire restaurants!
As a restaurant owner, one of your responsibilities is making sure your kitchen is safe from fires. Fortunately, this doesn't have to be difficult. If you install a kitchen fire suppression system in your restaurant and follow these restaurant safety tips, you should be able to stay safe and run smoothly at all times.
Organization matters - In a restaurant kitchen, almost everything is flammable - oil and grease that has accumulated on the walls, cardboard shipping and storage boxes and wooden pallets can all go up in seconds, and the constant presence of heat and open flames are just begging for trouble.
This is why keeping your kitchen clean and organized at all times is crucially important. It doesn't take much for someone holding a large pot of soup or a tray of food to trip, knock something over and create a huge problem!
In addition to keeping walkways and prep tables organized, it's extremely important that you mind your grease at all times. Grease and oil that accumulates in traps and hoods can flare up at any time, as can grease and oil that clings to walls above flat tops and stoves. Flare ups from frying pans are common - and if they hit the walls, it doesn't take long for a fire to start and spread!
Install a kitchen fire suppression system - With as much flammable material as there is in a commercial kitchen environment, there is no way you can call 911 and hope for help to arrive in time. You need to install a commercial kitchen fire suppression system, which should include a hood system, a chemical fire extinguishant and several Class K fire extinguishers. Your system should respond almost instantly to a fire in your commercial kitchen before it overwhelms you.
Watch out for open flames - The presence of open flames is always a hazard, no matter where you are. If your chefs flamb� or pan fry foods, or even if you have candles on the tables, make sure you have the proper safety equipment (fire extinguishers, fire suppression systems, etc) in place and that your staff is trained in how to use it, and you take care around open flames - in addition to everything that could burn in the kitchen, candles on the tables can ignite tablecloths, napkins, even servers' or patrons' clothing!
Have a backup plan - Obviously, you should have as many safety systems in place as possible to ensure safe operation of your commercial kitchen at all times. But it's just as important to have a backup plan if your safety systems fail! A fire protection services company can help you come up with a safety plan for your kitchen to help you and your employees stay as safe as possible.
Keeping your commercial kitchen safe from fires involves effort from everyone on your staff. Hopefully you found these tips helpful, and happy cooking!
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Commercial-Kitchen-Fire-Safety-Tips&id=6655937] Commercial Kitchen Fire Safety Tips