Cintas Introduces Fire Hazard Checklist for Restaurant Operators

To help restaurants reduce the risk and cost associated with a fire, Cintas today issued a list of the top fire safety risks associated with commercial kitchens and a checklist for eliminating these common hazards.

“Many restaurant operators believe that just having a service company inspect their system on a semi-annual basis is enough to minimize the risk of fire,” said Brian Garry, Senior Director of Foodservice, Cintas Corporation. “A formal inspection is obviously a necessary and very important part of the fire protection plan, but is not the only step to reducing risk. With a few proactive steps, operators can easily identify potential hazards and reduce the likelihood of a fire.”

To help restaurants identify commonly overlooked issues associated with kitchen hood suppression systems, Cintas offers the following checklist:

1. Train all employees. Invest the time to train all employees on how to actually discharge the kitchen hood suppression system, as well as how to operate a portable fire extinguisher. Employees should be trained to first discharge the hood system before grabbing the fire extinguisher in the event of an actual fire.

2. Visually inspect the nozzle patterns. As older kitchen equipment is replaced and as equipment slightly moves over time, visually inspect and make sure the nozzles are free from oil and grease build up, are covered with protective blow-off caps and pointed at the heat source and most likely where a fire would start.

3. Use a “K Class” extinguisher. In addition to the kitchen hood suppression system, restaurants should also have a “K Class” portable fire extinguisher within 30 feet of the furthest hazard. “K Class” extinguishers incorporate a different extinguishing agent as well as discharging a fine mist which helps prevent grease splash and fire reflash while cooling the appliance.

4. Clean all kitchen hood systems and filters. Oil and grease can easily build up on the exterior and interior surfaces of a hood suppression system, so it is important to regularly clean and remove this build up. This will prevent the suppression system from contributing to the fire rather than extinguishing it.

“Fires cost eating and drinking establishments an estimated $229 million in direct property damage according to the most recent reports,” said Brian Haas, National Fire Protection Director, Cintas. “Even worse, they can contribute to injury or death. By following this checklist, restaurant owners and operators can be sure they are performing their due diligence to reduce the opportunity of fire in the kitchen and ensure their hood suppression system functions properly.”

For more information about Cintas’ fire safety solutions for restaurants, please visit www.cintasfoodservice.com.

About Cintas:

Headquartered in Cincinnati, Cintas Corporation provides highly specialized services to businesses of all types primarily throughout North America. Cintas designs, manufactures and implements corporate identity uniform programs, and provides entrance mats, restroom supplies, promotional products, first aid, safety, fire protection products and services and document management services for approximately 800,000 businesses. Cintas is a publicly held company traded over the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol CTAS and is a component of the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index.

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