
Series Introduction
This article launches a series of fires to better understand the systems of trade kitchens. During the coming months we will add to this number of different issues that fire investigator needs to know when surveys of commercial kitchen fires.
Fires involving commercial cooking equipment are an important part of the problem of fires in the United States. According to statistics from the NFPA annual average of 11,100 fires occur in food and beverage establishments. The origin of half of these fires was in the kitchen – the location of devices that produce heat.
Application of the principles of the investigation of fires in commercial kitchens, should include:
- operation of commercial kitchen
- how to cook are interrelated
- the production of fuels accumulations of fat
- how these affect the spread accumulations Fire
- expectations installing fire-resistant construction
- the exhaust system maintenance and operation of the extinguishing system Fire
Stages of a kitchen grease fire
Food preparation requires heat, in most cases supplied by natural gas. The results of smoke from the cooking oil production, set in the exhaust system by a fan. Rest of fat fuels quickly condense back into the exhaust system, fuel load accumulated over time and delay the ability of exhaust gases and elimination of operating system as planned. Dysfunction of the cooker, the excess fat or human error causes inflammation of the oils and creating sustained attacks (the uncontrolled burning). The heat invades (Llama) of the initial burn uncontrolled can have enough energy to light the remains of grease filters and hood, the creation of the spread.
Once in the chapel area of ignition is carried out, several factors will determine if combustion continues and the intensity of the uncontrolled burning, including:
- Continuous heat uncontrolled burning in the initial
- the proximity of the device area hood
- failure the fire control system to operate as intended
- fatty buildup in the exhaust system
- actions (or inaction) by part of the kitchen staff
In normal flow of air supplied by fan provides all the necessary oxygen to burn. This encourages air movement Now the fire in the ducts. The radiant heat from a fire in the duct is often inflamed building materials, spreading fire in the exhaust system in the building. If the fire reaches the fan, fan heat of fusion of aluminum roofing drip fuel, ignite these surfaces.
This is the typical spread of a serious disease, fire damaged the kitchen building. There is of course a number of other variables.
Almost all of these possibilities is assumed that the construction, installation and maintenance of fire and building code standards. But simply, many systems of commercial kitchen exhaust are not installed or maintained under the Fire Code.
Phil Ackland
Over the next few weeks, we will develop many of the points relating to ignition and fire spread in commercial kitchen systems. Additionally we will expand on excerpts from Phil Ackland’s Fire Investigation in Commercial Kitchen Systems.
If you have any additional suggestions or points that you would like to see included, please feel free to contact us.
Phil Ackland is an icon in the field of commercial kitchen safety education, particularly restaurant kitchen fires. http://www.philackland.com/ He sits on the NFPA 96 committee, is a qualified expert witness and consultant to attorneys and insurance companies. He has written a series of books on fire safety that are recognized in the NFPA 96 and 921.