What does Restaurant Fire Suppression System Inspection involve?

Commercial kitchens in restaurants, airports, hotels and other food establishments are often the most fire hazard-prone area. As per the reports from NFPA, cooking equipment and kitchen accidents are the leading cause of fires in such establishments in the U.S. Thus, fire protection systems for restaurants require regular inspections and maintenance not only to ensure compliance with NFPA regulations but also to minimize the risk of property damages in case a fire may occur. 

As per the NFPA, a restaurant fire suppression system inspection must be conducted by a third-party certified professional at regular intervals depending on the needs of the particular commercial kitchen establishment’s size and risk factors. It usually involves the following:

• Most restaurant fire suppression systems spray wet-mist to extinguish the fire. Thus, all the nozzles are inspected to ensure they are well-functioning and there are no blockages in case a fire occurs. 
• After the suppression system has been used, it becomes crucial to inspect it for any build-up which may cause blockages. Thus, the inspector will check the nozzles, gas shut-off valve, and microswitches to ensure everything is in order.
• Therestaurant fire suppression systems need to have certain pressure levels to work efficiently. However, the pressure may decrease over time, rendering the fire suppression system unusable in an emergency. Thus, the pressure gauges are inspected to ensure proper PSI.
• The inspector may also replace all the nozzle caps if needed.
• The inspector will also test that the extinguishing lines are clear and have no blockage.
• During the inspection, the inspector would also inspect whether the manual alarm pull station is well-functional or not.
• The inspector will also assess the condition of all system components of the kitchen fire suppression system to check if any parts have been damaged or worn out and need replacement. 
• The inspector will conduct a detailed inspection of the kitchen hood. Thus, the kitchen hood must be well-cleaned and must not have too much-accumulated grease and oil which are key risk factors for fire hazards in commercial kitchens.

After the kitchen fire suppression system has been inspected, the inspector will tag it with the inspection date as proof. It is crucial to maintain a record of every inspection if you ever need to file an insurance claim. 

If your kitchen fire suppression system has not been inspected in over six months, get in touch with our team to schedule an inspection from a certified expert today!