Kitchen Safety

Be Prepared – Be Safe! Over 60% of accidental fires in the home start in the kitchen and 20% start in the deep fat fryer!

The number one causes of home fires and home injuries are cooking fires, so here’s a few tips for maintaining a fire-safe kitchen:

• Never leave cooking unattended
• Change or clean filters in ductwork regularly
• Maintain clean, grease-free surfaces
• Only use thermostatically controlled deep fat fryers
• Ensure that you have fire fighting equipment accessible at all times

The new Wet Chemical Fire Extinguisher is now a requirement of BS 5306-8:2012 for kitchens where cooking oils or fats are used. This extinguisher has been designed specifically for Class F (cooking oil, grease, and fat) fires and contains a chemical solution which reacts with the oil to form a coating, sealing out the oxygen and preventing re-ignition. This extinguisher has a long lance, enabling the operator to stand well away from the fire and spray a fine mist over the fire so it is contained, cooled and extinguished. While not recommended for direct use on live electrics, the lance on the extinguisher is non-conductive, so it is safe in the vicinity of electrical equipment. A Wet Chemical extinguisher can also be used on Class A fires (wood, paper, and textiles) if a standard fire extinguisher is not available.

Wet Chemical Fire Extinguishers are available in 6 litre and 3 litre sizes and in both our standard and maintenance-free ranges. Contact us for information.

How to operate a Wet Chemical extinguisher

• Remove the pin
• Direct the lance towards the top of the fryer
• Squeeze the handle
• Continue spraying until the fire is extinguished
• As soon as it’s safely possible, switch off the source of power
• Allow to cool completely before moving the fryer

If in doubt – get out… and call the fire brigade. Remember, property can be replaced – you can’t!