Commercial Kitchen Fire Systems Inspections Required
Semi-Annual Inspection & Maintenance
“A trained person who has undergone the instructions necessary to perform the maintenance and recharge service reliably and has the applicable manufacturer’s listed installation manual and service bulletins shall service the wet chemical fire-extinguishing system 6 months apart…and shall include the following:
(1) A check to see that the hazard has not changed.
(2) An examination of all detectors, the expellant gas container(s), the agent cylinder(s), releasing devices, piping, hose assemblies, nozzles, signals, all auxiliary equipment, and the liquid level of all non-pressurized wet chemical containers.
(3) Verification that the agent distribution piping is not obstructed.
The maintenance report, with recommendations, if any, shall be filed with the owner or with the designated party responsible for the system. Each wet chemical system shall have a tag or label securely attached, indicating the month and year the maintenance is performed and identifying the person performing the service. Only the current tag or label shall remain in place.”
-NFPA 17A – 7.3 - Maintenance
To maintain its UL 300 listing and current code requirements, your automatic fire suppression system must be inspected on a semi-annual basis by a licensed company. This maintenance includes testing and verifying functionality of the system, as well as replacing parts as listed in the owner’s manual and NFPA specifications.
Our technicians are factory trained and certified by Amerex, Pyro-Chem, Buckeye, Protex and Kidde.
Owner’s Responsibility
“Inspection shall be conducted on a monthly basis in accordance with the manufacturer’s listed installation and maintenance manual or the owner’s manual…and shall include the following:
(1) The extinguishing system is in its proper location.
(2) The manual actuators are unobstructed.
(3) The tamper indicators and seals are intact.
(4) The maintenance tag or certificate is in place.
(5) No obvious physical damage or condition exists that might prevent operation.
(6) The pressure gauge(s), if provided, is in operable range.
(7) The nozzle blow-off caps are intact and undamaged.
(8) The hood, duct, and protected cooking appliances have not been replaced, modified, or relocated.
If any deficiencies are found, appropriate corrective action shall be taken immediately.
The date the inspection is performed and the initials of the person performing the inspection shall be recorded.
The records shall be retained for the period between the semi-annual maintenance inspections.”
-NFPA 17A – 7.2 – Owner’s Inspection
Kitchen Hood Cleaning
The National Fire Protection Association's NFPA 96 requires trained and certified personnel to clean restaurant kitchen hoods and exhausts on a regular basis (NFPA 96-11.4). Their mandated cleaning schedule is as follows:
- Systems serving solid fuel cooking operations: Monthly
- Systems serving high-volume cooking operations such as 24-hour cooking, charbroiling, or wok cooking: Quarterly
- Systems serving moderate-volume cooking operations: Semiannually
- Systems serving low-volume cooking operations, such as churches, day camps, seasonal businesses, or senior centers: Annually
According to NFPA-96 section 11.6.1: “Upon inspection, if found to be contaminated with deposits from grease-laden vapors, the entire exhaust system shall be cleaned by a properly trained, qualified, and certified company or person(s) acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction in accordance with Section 11.4.”
The entire exhaust system includes the hood, filters, fan and all associated horizontal and vertical ductwork.
In addition, NFPA-96 section 11.6.2 states: “Hoods, grease removal devices, fans, ducts, and other appurtenances shall be cleaned to remove combustible contaminants prior to surfaces becoming heavily contaminated with grease or oily sludge.”
Grease and particulate buildup in the exhaust system is a fire hazard, and greatly impacts on the efficiency and lifetime of mechanical equipment. According to the NFPA, the majority of restaurant fires originate on the kitchen cooking appliances and flare into the kitchen exhaust system. If the entire exhaust system is not cleaned, a significant risk for fire exists whenever cooking appliances are used
Fire Extinguisher Inspections
Monthly Inspection
“Fire extinguishers shall be inspected when initially placed in service and thereafter at approximately 30-day intervals. Fire extinguishers shall be inspected, manually or by electronic monitoring, at more frequent intervals when circumstances require…and shall include a check of at least the following items:
(1) Location in designated place
(2) No obstruction to access or visibility
(3) Operating instructions on nameplate legible and facing outward
(4) *Safety seals and tamper indicators not broken or missing
(5) Fullness determined by weighing or “hefting”
(6) Examination for obvious physical damage, corrosion, leakage, or clogged nozzle
(7) Pressure gauge reading or indicator in the operable range or position
(8) Condition of tire, wheels, carriage, hose, and nozzle checked (for wheeled units)
(9) HMIS (hazardous materials identification systems) label in place”
NFPA 10 – 6.2 – Inspection
Annual Inspection
“Fire extinguishers shall be subjected to maintenance at intervals of not more than 1 year, at the time of hydrostatic test, or when specifically indicated by an inspection or electronic notification… and shall include a thorough examination of the basic elements of a fire extinguisher as determined below:
(1) Mechanical parts of all fire extinguishers
(2) Extinguishing agent of cartridge- or cylinder-operated dry chemical, stored-pressure, loaded stream, and pump tank fire extinguishers
(3) Expelling means of all fire extinguishers
Every 6 years, stored-pressure fire extinguishers that require a 12-year hydrostatic test shall be emptied and subjected to the applicable maintenance procedures. When the applicable maintenance procedures are performed during periodic recharging or hydrostatic testing, the 6-year requirement shall begin from that date.
NFPA 10 – 6.3 - Maintenance
Hydrotest Frequency
“At intervals not exceeding those specified in the table below, fire extinguishers shall be hydrostatically retested. The hydrostatic retest shall be conducted within the calendar year of the specified test interval. In no case shall an extinguisher be recharged if it is beyond its specified retest date.
|
Extinguisher Type
|
Test
Interval
(Years)
|
|
Stored-pressure water, loaded stream, and/or antifreeze
|
5
|
|
Wetting agent
|
5
|
|
AFFF (aqueous film-forming foam)
|
5
|
|
FFFP (film-forming fluoroprotein foam)
|
5
|
|
Dry chemical with stainless steel shells
|
5
|
|
Carbon dioxide
|
5
|
|
Wet chemical
|
5
|
|
Dry chemical, stored-pressure, with mild steel shells, brazed brass shells, or aluminum shells
|
12
|
|
Dry chemical, cartridge- or cylinder-operated, with mild steel shells
|
12
|
|
Halogenated agents
|
12
|
|
Dry power, stored-pressure, cartridge- or cylinder-operated, with mild steel shells
|
12
|
Note: Stored-pressure water extinguishers with fiberglass shells (pre-1976) are prohibited from hydrostatic testing due to manufacturer’s recall.
NFPA 10 – 7.2 – Hydrotest Frequency
Emergency & Exit Lighting Inspections
“A functional test shall be conducted on every required emergency lighting system at 30-day intervals for not less than 30 seconds. An annual test shall be conducted on every required battery-powered emergency lighting system for not less than 1-1/2 hours. Equipment shall be fully operational for the duration of the test. Written records of visual inspections and tests shall be kept by the owner for inspection by the authority having jurisdiction.”
NFPA 101 – 7.9.3 Periodic Testing of Emergency Lighting Equipment
“Exit signs shall be visually inspected for operation of the illumination sources at intervals not to exceed 30 days.”
NFPA 101 – 7.10.9.1 – Inspection
“Exit signs connected to or provided with a battery-operated emergency illumination source… shall be tested and maintained in accordance with section 7.9.3.”
NFPA 101 – 7.10.9.2 – Testing