SDKECA Explains How Kitchen Hoods Can Help Prevent Fire

Kitchen hoods are essential in every kitchen, more so in commercial ones. The San Diego Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning Association (SDKECA) says more than removing kitchen odors from cooking, kitchen hoods also help in preventing grease fire in the kitchen.

SDKECA President Keith Brady says high-quality commercial kitchen hoods are essential in preventing grease fire because together with a kitchen fire suppression system, a kitchen range hood eliminates the grease in the atmosphere that could make the grease fire harder to put out.

Brady however warns that a kitchen hood that is not regularly cleaned can be the cause itself of a commercial kitchen fire. “When the exhaust system is not properly cleaned, or ill maintained, it automatically becomes a fire hazard. And since most kitchen exhaust systems go directly to the roof, it could be harder to contain and of course can cause catastrophic damage to the business and ultimately put its customers and workers at harm’s way,” Brady says.

The National Restaurant Association for instance encourages all commercial kitchen owners and managers to routinely maintain their kitchen exhaust system. In their official website, they mentioned that the regular maintenance helps prevent disastrous fires in the kitchen.

“Have your exhaust system inspected for grease buildup. The NFPA Fire Code calls for quarterly inspections of systems in high-volume operations and semiannual inspections in moderate-volume operations. Monthly inspections are required for exhaust systems serving solid-fuel cooking equipment, like wood- or charcoal-burning ovens.”

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Popular website Eater.com meanwhile shared the experience of a chef whose restaurant went up into flames at the middle of the night. With the harrowing experience, the author concluded his write up with safety tips to help prevent commercial kitchen fires. One of the tips he shared is ensuring that the kitchen exhaust system, is cleaned twice a year.

“Oven hoods, the stainless steel appliances directly above stoves that catch contaminated cooking air and feed it into the exhaust system, also pose a substantial fire risk if not adequately cleaned and maintained. Cooks and kitchen porters are usually responsible for cleaning these nightly, but sometimes the chore gets skipped. More in-depth cleaning, which is necessary on a regular basis for proper hood operation, is something restaurant owners might be tempted to skip given the expense, which can start at $500 per cleaning and increase in price for larger restaurants with complex networks of equipment.”

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The SDKECA says restaurant owners should not skip the regular range hood and kitchen exhaust cleaning because apart from adhering to fire codes, it will ensure fire safety in the restaurant especially that of its customers and employees. Kitchen Hood

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