Commercial kitchen fires amount to millions of dollars of property and equipment loss every year. They are very volatile and ignite in the blink of an eye. These fires can spread rapidly and are considered highly dangerous as they can be tough to extinguish. However, as a large amount of cooking occurs in commercial kitchens every day, there is a constant threat of kitchen fires. Therefore, as per the NFPA regulations, commercial kitchens must be equipped with Class “K” fire extinguishers and a fire suppression system. In addition, business owners must ensure fire extinguisher inspection and maintenance by certified professionals periodically.
Why is a Class “K” fire extinguisher used to extinguish the kitchen fire?
Whenever there is a fire accident, your first thought might be to use any fire extinguisher to suppress the fire. However, a Class “A” fire extinguisher is a water-based fire extinguisher. Thus, contrary to extinguishing the fire, it will probably make it worse. On the other hand, a Class “B” fire extinguisher can effectively eliminate an inflammable liquid-based fire such as those caused by petroleum or alcohol. But, they cannot be effective in suppressing a kitchen fire fueled by grease and cooking oils. Similarly, Class “C” and “D” fire extinguishers are not suitable for kitchen fires as they can only be used for electric or combustible metal-related fires.
Commercial kitchen fires are classified as Class ‘K’ fires as these cannot be extinguished using any ordinary fire extinguisher. A special kind of fire extinguisher is needed for these types of fires, which is classified as a Class “K” fire extinguisher. A class “K” fire extinguisher is explicitly designed to extinguish any fires unique to cooking accidents in the kitchen. It contains a wet mist of chemical extinguishing agents to separate the oil from the fire, cool it, and prevent it from reigniting. It quickly smothers the fire with a foam blanket and effectively cuts off the fire’s oxygen supply.
So, if you want to make
your commercial kitchen safer for your staff, make sure to choose fire extinguisher service from a reliable fire protection company.
