If you own a business, you will have a responsibility to keep it safe. Recent data has noted more than 8000 commercial kitchen fires every year – and almost 60% of those are caused by kitchen equipment. According to Safety Culture, while each state has its own guidelines for fire inspection frequency, most states require at least an annual fire inspection. While an outside contractor must do those official inspections, most states require the company to conduct its own fire inspection services.

The NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) requires that a certified fire inspector conduct annual inspections. These professionals have taken a course to learn the responsibilities involved in inspecting businesses for fire safety. Part of the certification process requires 200 hours of instruction from a registered fire education authority.

A fire safety inspection will evaluate your company’s readiness for a fire. They will inspect your fire alarms and fire extinguishers. If you have a sprinkler system – which is required for businesses with a kitchen – the inspector will be sure it is functional. Some buildings require special fire protection systems. Those buildings will supply fire protection with special hazard systems, which provide non-water protection devices.

Unfortunately, restaurant fires are not uncommon. Commercial kitchen fires occur on a regular basis, and more than 8,000 of these fires are reported every year. Given this, it is important to schedule regular fire safety inspections which includes regular service for fire extinguishers. It’s important to note that when portable fire extinguishers are in good working order, they have been able to safely extinguish a large percentage of commercial kitchen fires.

Recent data shows that 41% of non-confined restaurant fires begin in the kitchen and cooking areas. It has also been determined that 57% of these fires were caused by a variety of cooking equipment. When fires occur due to equipment igniting within a non-confined restaurant building fire, the major causes are due to deep fryers, ranges, and various types of kitchen and cooking equipment. Deep fryers, for example, have caused nine percent of these fires, ranges have caused seven percent, and five percent have been caused by other types of kitchen and cooking equipment.

To be prepared for a potential fire, commercial kitchens need to have fire extinguishers located within close proximity of all cooking areas. It is recommended that these should be located no more than 30 feet from these areas. It is also recommend that restaurants and other types of commercial kitchens have several strategically-located fire extinguishers.

After these devices have been used, a fire extinguisher recharge is needed. Fire extinguisher inspections should be conducted by a fire extinguisher service on a regular basis to ensure that these devices are functioning optimally. When commercial kitchens also have automatic extinguishing systems, these need to be inspected and serviced by a professional fire protection service every six months.

Since fires can cause considerable harm to staff, guests, and the property itself, obtaining regular service for fire extinguishers is essential. Every year, there is an average of $246 million in direct property damage due to fires that occur in restaurants and other types of dining establishments. When over 2,000 fires were recently studied, however, it was found that portable fire extinguishers were able to extinguish over 80% of these fires. Given this, contacting a local fire extinguisher service to inspect these and other fire suppression systems is integral to promoting a safe work environment and dining experience.