Commercial kitchen fire safety
Business Safety Tips Resources » Commercial Kitchen Fire Safety

Be sure you can take the heat: Protecting your restaurant from fire

Commercial kitchens are beehives of activity: chefs laboring over hot surfaces, churning out order after order for the customers who pass through the dining room. The heat — both metaphorical and actual — can be intense.

In fact, if you’re operating a restaurant, you need to be vigilant. A 2022 report from the U.S. Fire Administration said there were 35,800 cooking fires in nonresidential buildings during that year, causing $89 million in losses.

According to the Federal Emergency Management Association, restaurant fires occur most frequently in the late morning hours, peaking from 10 to 11 a.m., with another small peak between 7 and 8 p.m.

The National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) says restaurant fires fall into two main categories. Fifty-nine percent are referred to as “confined fires,” which mostly stem from cooking. These are limited in extent, staying within pots or fireplaces or certain other noncombustible containers. They generally remain small and cause limited damage. The second category is restaurant building fires, which are most often caused by electrical malfunction in larger pieces of cooking equipment, such as ranges or griddles. These fires are not as easily contained, and so pose a greater and more immediate threat to life and property.

Prevention is key

The best way you can protect your customers and staff is to help prevent fires. Here are a few strategies you can put in place now:

  • An automatic fire-suppression system. These protect ventilating equipment such as hoods, ducts, and filters, as well as other commercial kitchen equipment that produces heat. These systems work by automatically dispensing chemicals to smother flames and also by shutting down fuel or electrical supply to nearby equipment. Such a system should be professionally installed and inspected twice a year.
  • Smoke detectors. Detectors can warn you about the presence of fire before it becomes too widespread. These detectors can come fitted with audible and visual alarms and heat-detecting capabilities, and there are wireless systems that make installation easy and quick.
  • A commercial-grade hood. Not only do commercial hoods reduce the risk of fire in your restaurant they’re also required by code in most areas. Hoods direct heat and fumes away from kitchen areas and can also be equipped with fire suppression systems that quickly smother blazes before they get out of control.
  • Fire extinguishers. Although commercial kitchens contain several fire hazards — open flames, cleaning chemicals, and paper products — grease is the No. 1 culprit. A Class K fire extinguisher is designed specifically for fires involving combustible cooking fluids and must be used only after a built-in hood fire-suppression system has been activated. Class ABC fire extinguishers should be kept in a separate area of the kitchen. For more information about the types of fire extinguishers available to your restaurant business, see our publication, “Stay fire-safe at your office.”
  • Keep it clean. Because grease is so highly flammable, the risk of fire increases greatly when it has been permitted to build up. The NFPA suggests quarterly inspections of exhaust systems in high-volume operations and twice-yearly inspections in midsize operations.
  • Maintenance matters. Not only should any electrical equipment be regularly maintained, as soon as you spot a frayed cord or broken switch plate, get it replaced.

If a fire does happen, have a plan

Even the best maintained kitchens aren’t accident-proof, so it’s important to know what you’ll do in the event of a crisis. Here are some tips to keep your employees, customers, and property safe:

  • Know how to shut it all down. A restaurant operation should ideally have at least one worker per shift who has been trained how to shut off electrical and gas power in case of emergency. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires restaurants to have an Emergency Action Plan (EAP) in place. This is a written document intended to facilitate and organize employer and employee actions during workplace emergencies. A good EAP works in tandem with proper employee training to establish employees’ roles and responsibilities in the event of a crisis, reducing risk of severe injuries and critical structural damage.
  • Know who to turn to. Kitchen employees should not only know how to safely operate such equipment as deep fryers and griddles; they also need to know who to call in an emergency, how to use fire extinguishers, and how to administer basic first aid. To ensure this level of preparedness, staff should be given yearly refresher courses.
  • Know how to get out. At least one staff member per shift should be designated as the evacuation manager. This person determines when an evacuation is necessary and how to get everyone out of the building safely.

If you’d like more information to help you formulate your restaurant business’s fire prevention plan, you can turn to Grinnell Mutual’s Loss Control Bulletins on kitchen fire-suppression systems, on hoods, grease removal devices, and exhaust duct systems, and on safety guidelines for businesses serving meals.

The information included here was obtained from sources believed to be reliable, however Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company, SI, and its employees make no guarantee of results and assume no liability in connection with any training, materials, suggestions, or information provided. It is the user’s responsibility to confirm compliance with any applicable local, state, or federal regulations. Information obtained from or via Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company, SI, should not be used as the basis for legal advice and should be confirmed with alternative sources.

Sources: U.S. Fire Administration; www.firesafetysearch.com

1/2025